Chair of the PRCA Public Affairs Board, Liam Herbert, said:
“Lobbying professionals in the PRCA Public Affairs Board believe that the UK political system desperately needs to improve transparency, accountability, and trust among the general public.
“We acknowledge that progress has been made with the publication of the Government paper ‘Strengthening Ethics and Integrity in Central Government,’ which proposes updates to rules on ethics and transparency in public life. We’ve long called for more timely reporting of ministerial diaries, so we welcome the increased frequency of publication and the inclusion of other forms of contact. The central database is a step in the right direction.
“Despite some progress, there is still much work to be done to address the disappointing gaps in the Government’s proposals. For example, we disagree that Special Advisers (SpAds) should remain outside the obligations to be transparent. SpAds exercise enormous influence within Whitehall.
“We will continue to argue for lobbying rules to be strengthened so that the public can have confidence that decisions are made in a way that is open, transparent and accountable.”
