In his written evidence submitted to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Professor Justin Fisher (Brunel Public Policy) highlighted several critical issues concerning the regulation of lobbying in light of the Greensill scandal. This written evidence has been quoted in the report of the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, titled: "Lobbying and Influence: Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Lobbying Act 2014 and Related Matters".
Professor Fisher emphasised the following issues in the written evidence:
- Lobbying is a positive aspect of democratic life and is undertaken by a broad range of political actors – not just the private sector.
- The Register of Lobbyists covers only a tiny proportion of lobbying activity.
- There has been progress in self-regulation of lobbying conduct via the Public Affairs Code, but its coverage is far from complete.
- The Register of Lobbyists should be expanded to cover all professional lobbying activity.
- The existing Public Affairs Code should apply to all professional lobbyists. An independent self-regulatory body should be established to oversee and enforce the Public Affairs Code.
- Failure to establish such an independent body within a reasonable timeframe should result in statutory enforcement of the Public Affairs Code.
Read the full written evidence here.
Read the full report here.
Reported by:
Eliza Kania
eliza.kania@brunel.ac.uk