Introducing a Statutory Register of Lobbyists

HC 153, Second Report of Session 2012-13 - Volume I: Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence

Author:

House of Commons - Politicial and Constitutional Reform Committee

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

Price: £20.00

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'Introducing a Statutory Register of Lobbyists (HC 153)' discusses the proposals from the Government's consultation paper (see below), which focused the register on those who undertake lobbying activities on behalf of a third party client.

Under the proposals, a lobbyist who worked in house for a large company such as News International would not be required to register, whereas a 'one-man band' lobbyist would be, also having to name their clients and pay for the privilege.

There is no evidence to suggest that third party lobbyists are a particular problem within the lobbying community; the Government's own records of ministerial meetings suggest that third party lobbyists make up less than 1% of all meetings with Ministers.

The Government should abandon its plans and introduce regulation to cover all those who lobby professionally, in a paid role, including those who lobby on behalf of charities, trade unions, and think tanks.

The Committee specifically recommends the Government to:

• publish information about ministerial meetings no more than a month after which the meeting occurred;

• improve the level of detail in meeting disclosures, so that the actual topic of a meeting is disclosed, rather than obscure terms like 'general discussion';

• publish, where applicable, the company or charity number of any organisation that meets with Ministers or officials, so that the identity of the organisation can be properly verified; and

• standardise the format of meeting data, with a view to publishing all ministerial and official meetings on one website, rather than on many different Government websites.

Extent	132 pages	ISBN	9780215046826
Size	A4	Price	£20.00
Format	Paperback	Published	13 Jul 2012
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges