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Government happy for lobbyists to stay in the shadows
DATELINE: 18/12/09
The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency welcomes today's call (16 December) from the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) for more clarity from the government on the issue of regulating lobbyists. However, it maintains that the only way to clean up the secretive world of lobbying is for it to introduce a statutory register of lobbyists.
Today's follow-up report on lobbying from PASC summarises developments since the Committee published Lobbying: Access and influence in Whitehall in January 2009. The government responded to PASC in October, rejecting the Committee's key recommendation for a mandatory register of lobbyists, opting instead to back the current system of self-regulation.
David Miller of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency said:
"The government's half-hearted response to urgent calls for more transparency in lobbying suggests that it is happy for lobbyists to operate in the shadows. In the 12 months since the PASC report, the industry has failed to improve transparency through voluntary self-regulation. The government must now take seriously public concerns about undue influence in politics and force lobbyists to operate in the open. It's becoming increasingly clear that the only way to do this is through a mandatory system of disclosure. The public must be allowed to see who government is listening to, and the extent to which national policies are being influenced by private interests."A debate from the Public Administration Committee on Lobbying: Access and Influence in Whitehall is scheduled for Thursday 7 January.
Notes
The PASC report into lobbying, including the government's response and latest news can be found here: http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/public_administration_select_committee/pasclobbying.cfmAlliance for Lobbying Transparency website:
www.lobbyingtransparency.org
Last modified: Friday, December 18, 2009
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Previous stories
Lobbying
Government backs "Emperor's new clothes" for lobbying transparency
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
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Reining in the influence industry
Lobbyists under the spotlight
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Alliance for Lobbying Transparency meeting
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