The two main anti-abortion groups spent €750,000 during their campaigns on the abortion referendum last year, the Standards in Public Office Commission said yesterday.
The amount dwarfed spending by the three main political parties, who said they would spend €320,000 between them at the outset of the campaign last year.
The commission, which monitors election spending by campaigners under the Electoral Act, also revealed significant expenditure during the second Nice referendum last autumn. Spending by the political parties in referendums and elections is disclosed separately by the commission.
In a report on its implementation of the Act, which requires groups to register donations of more than €126.97, the commission said it had to approach some groups active in the abortion referendum when they failed to make registrations.
The Government proposed in the abortion referendum to roll back the X case judgment allowing abortion where the life of a pregnant woman was in danger from a threat of suicide. It was narrowly defeated in a poll last March.The complexity of the debate was such that the Government's proposed amendment was supported by some anti-abortion groups but opposed by others.
The commission disclosed that the biggest spender during the campaign was the Pro-Life Movement, which said its expenditure would be €400,000. Its estimated donations were €200,000, although the source of those donations was not revealed. The second biggest spender was the Pro-Life Campaign, which said it spent €350,000 during the campaign and received €200,000. The source of the donations was not disclosed. Individually, the two groups spent more than the main political parties.
Fianna Fáil said at the outset of its campaign that it would spend €150,000; Fine Gael said it would spend €100,000; and Labour planned to spend €70,000.
The commission said it wrote on five occasions to the Alliance for a No Vote, but had not received a reply. An Post has sought legal advice on whether it can comply with a commission request to disclose the identity of a PO Box subscription taken by the Alliance. A similar process is ongoing in relation to the Libertarians against Nice group.
The British branch of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children also failed to respond to the commission. No action was possible because the society is based outside the State.
The Pro-Life Alliance said it received €25,000 during the campaign. But other prominent anti-abortion campaigners - such as Mr Justin Barrett, of the Mother and Child Campaign, Youth Defence, Human Life International and Family Solidarity - were not required to register with the commission. They said they did not receive donations in excess of €126.97.
The Independent MEP Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon received more than €6,674. Separately, the Irish Family Planning Association said it expected to receive up to €20,000. The biggest spenders in the Nice campaign supported the referendum. These included the Irish Alliance for Europe, which received €500,000 and the business group IBEC, which received €400,000.
The No to Nice Campaign said it received €30,000, while the National Platform group expected to spend about €15,000. The Immigration Control Platform established by Ms Aine Ní Chonaill expected to receive between €5,000 and €10,000.
