Documents to download

The Lobbying (Transparency) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour). The Bill had its first reading on 24 May 2016 and is scheduled to have its second reading on 9 September 2016. The Bill would repeal Part 1 of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014, the legislation which currently provides for a statutory register of consultant lobbyists, and replace it with a new statutory register covering a wider range of lobbying activity. 

Under the Bill’s provisions, both consultant lobbyists and in-house lobbyists from a wide range of organisations would be required to register. A person would be deemed to be engaged in ‘lobbying activity’ if they arranged or facilitated a meeting with a public official, or communicated with a public official, on matters relating to specified parliamentary business and specified government activities. The public officials covered by this definition of lobbying activity would include members of both Houses of Parliament and their staff, as well as staff of government departments, executive agencies, non-ministerial government departments, non-departmental bodies, and regulatory bodies. Currently, only consultant lobbyists who communicate personally with government ministers or permanent secretaries (or equivalent) are required to register. The Bill would require registrants to provide a greater range of information than is currently required, such as a summary of what was being lobbied on and who was being lobbied, an estimate of how much was spent on lobbying activity, and whether any of the lobbyists had held a public office in the ten years prior to the start of the lobbying.

The Bill would also introduce a statutory code of conduct for lobbyists. Currently, consultant lobbyists must indicate on their register entry whether they have undertaken to comply with a code of conduct, but there is no statutory code.

The current statutory register of consultant lobbyists was established in March 2015. The Government said in March 2016 that it had no plans to increase the scope of the register. However, the relatively narrow scope of the current legislation has been criticised and there have been calls for it to be replaced or strengthened. The Labour and Liberal Democrat parties both pledged to introduce an expanded registration regime for lobbyists in their manifestos for the 2015 general election.


Documents to download

Related posts

  • Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL]:HL Bill 35 of 2024-25

    The Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat). It would repeal the requirement for schools in England without a designated religious character to provide daily acts of collective religious worship. In its place, the bill would establish a new duty to provide non-religious assemblies which develop the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural education of pupils.

    Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL]:HL Bill 35 of 2024-25
  • Review of the House of Lords code of conduct: Recommendations

    In 2024, the House of Lords Conduct Committee launched a review of the House of Lords code of conduct for members. The committee published the conclusions of this review and its proposed amendments to the code and guide to the code in January 2025. The House of Lords is scheduled to debate these recommendations. If accepted, these changes would come into force in April 2025.

    Review of the House of Lords code of conduct: Recommendations
  • Closure of bank branches: Impact on rural communities

    Over the last three decades, the number of bank branches in the UK has declined due to advances in technology and changing customer habits. Stakeholders have argued that these closures have negatively affected rural communities. In recent years, successive governments and the Financial Conduct Authority have taken action aimed at ensuring sufficient access to banking services, including for rural communities. This briefing provides an overview of these measures, as well as information on the number of bank closures and their impact on rural communities.

    Closure of bank branches: Impact on rural communities