No change for lobbying?

Tough reforms to the world of lobbying are today proposed by the Public Administration Committee after a long inquiry into the murky world. They have two big ideas: firstly, a statutory register in which lobbying companies must declare their clients and employees; secondly that all contacts between lobbyists and government be made public. Both have and will been resisted by the industry.

But sadly for the committee, who spent month deliberating what to do, it will also probably be resisted by the government.

Their proposals are now with the Cabinet Office, who must decide whether to give them the go-ahead. But during his appearance before the committee, Tom Watson who amongst other things is a Cabinet Office minister, indicated he had little appetite for reform. He said:

I have not seen a huge body of evidence which shows that people are abusing the system, that the Ministerial Code has been subverted and that we are not making clear and open decisions on policy. If, in the course of your investigation, you have found a systemic problem with the lobbying industry I would like to see it but my impression is we have a pretty good system in the UK. The case for regulation has to be made if you identify a problem. I go back to my point that if in collecting evidence in this inquiry you find that the industry are exerting undue influence and getting policy and legislative outcomes that are unfair, then obviously we need to look at that.

He added later:

There is not a cat’s chance in hell that you are going to get a register of every politician who has lunch with a journalist.

Reading the report, it doesn't appear that the Committee did find much evidence, beyond repeating a couple of stories already in the pubic domain, such as this Sunday Times story about Stephen Ladyman. So don't expect radical change.

Comments

[kerry livermore]

Why did anybody think that everything was not above board with our politicians. Hasn't Speaker Martin already confirmed that our parliamentarians are the most honest and diligent in the world.

[Faceless Bureaucrat]

Well, at least this is one Pantomime that has come to the end of its run.

And anyway, who in their right mind ever imagined that US style regulations would be imposed upon our army of Westminster lobbyists and to a lesser extent, Lobby and Political Journalists?

Something this powerful, effective and lucrative will not disappear anytime soon...

FB

[Tom Watson]

Lunch?

[Chuck Unsworth]

Never been much impressed by Tony Wright and his merry persons - and this is certainly no reason to change that view.

[ricey]

of course mps are going to resist anything that effects them staying on the gravy trian even if they become ex ministers after all i can think of at least 2 nulabour mps who have landed jobs in the private sector paying over £100,000 per year one at boots and the other at sita (forenightly refuse collections, smoking ban)and they are not the only 2 add a couple of lords to the list as well its just another form of backhanders for services rendered

[Alex]

Just a small body of evidence then ! He has plenty of appetite for reform of everything that affects the British people. Just been reading one of the clear and open decisions on policy - hostels for convicts (if that word is still legal in everyday English) springing up on a street near me !