| Synopsis: |
The Committee supports the aims of increasing transparency in lobbying and effectively and fairly regulating third-party campaigning, but finds that the Government's bill is seriously flawed, because of inadequate consultation and a lack of pre-legislative scrutiny. Moreover, the definition of "consultant lobbying" is so narrow that not only would it exclude in-house lobbyists, which was the Government's intention, but it would also exclude the vast majority of third-party lobbyists and particularly the larger organisations. Many companies undertake lobbying as part of a wider communications and public relations business, and they spend very little of their time meeting directly with Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, meaning they could argue they were exempt from registering. The register should be expanded to include in-house lobbyists, and to cover the provision of advice on lobbying, as well as direct contact with Ministers and Permanent Secretaries. Special Advisers and Senior Civil Servants should be included in the list of people with whom contact counts as lobbying.Part 2 of the Bill, on non-party campaigning, and particularly the definition of spending "for electoral purposes" is confusing. The Committee urges the Government temporarily to withdraw the Bill and support a motion in the House to set up a special committee to carry out pre-legislative scrutiny, using the text of the existing Bill as a draft. The special committee should be charged with producing an improved Bill within six months. |