New lobbying guidance welcome but still fails to address fundamental problems says CIPR

CIPR welcomes new guidance from the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists and is pleased that our responses to both consultations – in relation to registerable communications and codes of conduct, respectively – have been accepted and will be reflected in the next revision of the guidance. However, there remains concerns that the overall legislation still does not go far enough in providing the public with access to meaningful and accurate information about lobbying beyond consultant lobbying.

“These changes are welcome and the Registrar has done a great job within his remit, but ultimately, until all lobbyists – agency and in house – are required to register it will continue to offer the public an incomplete  picture of the lobbying process. We remain concerned that, these changes alone, do not do enough to offer the public reassurance about the increasingly professional standard of the lobbying sector.

This is a step in the right direction but ulimately the original legislation should be reviewed, something that should happen in the next Parliament.
Rachael Clamp Chart.PR, MCIPR, Chair of CIPR Public Affairs

The changes to the guidance include an expansion of required registerable activities relating to written and oral communications as well as a clearer definition of what constitutes a relevant code of conduct, increased scrutiny of self-written codes, the requirement to formally confirm a registrant is in compliance of a code of conduct and changes to an organisations duties when claiming a code of conduct to demonstrate members of that organisation are subscribed to it.

The Registrar’s full response to the consultation can be found here.

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