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Government backs "Emperor's new clothes" for lobbying transparency
Tamasin Cave
DATELINE: 23/10/09
The Government has dropped the ball on political reform – and ignored public concerns – by refusing to force lobbyists to operate in the open, says the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency. The Government's long-awaited response to the Public Administration Select Committee's (PASC) report into lobbying , announced this morning, dismissed its key recommendation for a compulsory register of lobbyists.
A simple statutory register of lobbyists, which has the support of some 200 MPs, would require all lobbyists to operate transparently and ensure that the public can see who government is really listening to, and the extent to which national policies are being influenced by mainly commercial interests.
Instead government is backing the "failed" system of voluntary self-regulation, condemned by the Committee following its 18 month inquiry into the industry. In its response, the Government describes self-regulation as "a more proportionate and effective means of promoting transparency and standards of conduct." Its response gives the industry "the opportunity to develop a system of voluntary self-regulation which commands the confidence of those in and outside the industry."
Self regulation, which has been in place for fifteen years, was described by PASC as "little better than the Emperor's new clothes". In an industry worth £2 billion, vast numbers of lobbyists still choose to operate in an opaque manner, refusing to disclose their clients or employers (as required under self-regulation). The system is run by self-interested actors who lack the authority to impose rules and there are no serious sanctions or monitoring of the system.
David Miller of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency said: "The government has shown it is not serious about political reform by allowing lobbyists to continue to self-regulate. In June, Gordon Brown said that the future was about 'opening up areas of public life that have been too secretive'. This must include the massive and growing influence commercial lobbying has on public life.
"Asking the public to trust lobbyists to operate transparently is like asking us to trust MPs on expenses. Self-regulation is no regulation."
The Government's response to the PASC report into lobbying: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmpubadm/1058/105802.htm
For further information
Tamasin Cave: 07973424 015 | 020 7207 6851 | Tamasin@spinwatch.org
Last modified: Friday, October 23, 2009
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Previous stories
Lobbying
Why are we (still) waiting?
Where To Now For Lobbying?
Who is the government really listening to?
PM hints at lobbying shake-up
PR industry expects-crackdown
The way forward on lobbying
Brown must open up lobbying to win public trust
Reining in the influence industry
Lobbyists under the spotlight
Companies 'try to co-opt sector'
Slow and shaky start for EU lobbying register
Alliance for Lobbying Transparency meeting
Legal blow to secret government lobbying
EU lobbying - it's now or never
Parliamentary Inquiry into lobbying gets underway
EU Worst Lobby Awards Go Public
