Lobbying Bill under scrutiny

Thursday, 22 August 2013 00:00

Lobbying Bill under scrutiny

By Tamasin Cave

The House of Commons Chamber http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENIW7i48xHA

The Political and Constitutional Reform Committee has embarked on a much needed inquiry into the government's 'dog's breakfast' of a lobbying bill, as the Committee's chair, Graham Allen, called it.

 Spinwatch has submitted evidence to the Committee, which can be accessed here. In summary it says:

In summary it says:

 1) Since its pledge to introduce lobbying transparency in 2010, the government has shown a weak commitment to the policy, with long delays, proposals that lack a seriousness of purpose, and scant regard for the views of external interests;     

2) The register of lobbyists, as proposed in the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill is not fit for purpose. It will not deliver on its stated aim of increasing transparency in lobbying and allowing public scrutiny to improve government accountability and public trust. It fails for two central reasons:

The register will cover a tiny fraction of the lobbying industry;
The register will include no meaningful information on the activities of those lobbyists it does cover, merely a list of clients.

The government’s rationale for such a weak register does not stand up to scrutiny.

3) A register of lobbyists that would deliver on the government’s stated aim must include as a minimum:

All paid lobbyists operating in the UK (above a minimum threshold);
Information on who is lobbying whom, what they are lobbying for, and a good faith estimate of how much they are spending.

  Spinwatch and Unlock Democracy have drafted an alternative bill to provide a starting point for discussions and to stimulate a proper debate about what a genuine register of lobbyists should look like.