During the recent passage of the Transparency Bill, Labour, Cross Bench and some government Peers sought to amend the first part which deals with a Statutory Register of Lobbyists. Ex Ministers and former civil servants stressed that its coverage – only requiring meetings with Ministers or Permanent Secretaries to be declared – was nonsense, as most good lobbyists would go to the actual civil servant dealing with the relevant issue, and virtually never to a Permanent Secretary.
We also argued that only covering lobbying agencies, rather than companies with in-house lobbyists, missed the vast majority of lobbying that takes place.
The government strongly resisted our persuasive arguments and the Bill was unamended on both issues.
Fast forward to the Budget, and the reduction in beer duty.
I tabled a written question asking what meetings the Treasury had held with various parts of the drinks industry. The Ministerial Reply dated 26 March refused to answer, saying only that meetings with Ministers and Permanent Secretaries could (in due course) be found on the website. (The latest for ministers as of today are for September 2013 meetings – hardly relevant to the Budget, and there are none listed for Permanent Secretaries!)
But the drinks industry does not meet ministers or Permanent Secretaries. It meets senior civil servants – as one of the companies, SAB Millar, helpfully (and far more openly and transparently) wrote to me on seeing my Written Question. (Meanwhile, Alcohol Concern having informed me that they were refused any meeting with the Treasury prior to the budget, even with the door keeper.)
So what has the government’s Act done for transparency?
Nothing. We are not told how many meetings took place with drinks companies or with their trade associations. Any register or lobbyists will only have relevance if it records lobbying activity, whether undertaken by in-house lobbyists or lobby firms, and whether of decision-makers regardless of rank. The 2014 Act is nothing but a damp squib, and shines light on nothing.
So the question for the future is: should we start again with a parliamentary register rather than rely on statute and government action? Or should this be a priority for a post May 2015 government? Or is there a better way forward? Answers please!
So what has the government’s Act done for transparency?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing; the third bill in as many weeks to do the same.
@ Baroness Hayter:
I don’t believe you, or anyone in parliament, has any intention of busting through the transparency promise, in any aspect of its dealing. And mouthing a pretense for us all to suck on will not, any longer, soothe the savage beast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS9mbl4twdU
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7cF8Z_K9DM
The greater but politically-pragmatically-hidden Context of this [Alcoholic] Drinks and Lobbying Legislation and Regulation Issue
is surely the non-existent or at best cinderella’d Wellbeing Education & Health Building for One and All.
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Gareth has simplisticly reflected, but with added ‘snort’, what you (Baroness) had already told us in your Post.
Maude too has avoided your topic-questions and openly-democratic public request:-
“Parliamentary Register instead of statute and government action ?
“Shelve it for the post 2015 government to deal with ?”
“Call in any better way forward ?” and
“Please send in answers.”
(jsdm abbreviated).
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Hello then, Baroness Hayter;
and my answer is already above,
and this matter has to include the whole-of-people-upwards participative-democracy, and faithful-parliamentary-representation therein, by both Governance Members and ‘Open’ Market lobbyists;
and, does anyone need to suggest, with more than mere ‘Transparency’ of Lobbying..
For some sources and supportive works therefore, please see short lists given on non-profit disinterested websites http://www.lifefresh.co.uk and http://www.earth2,co ;
and within many of my previous submissions to all sorts of Lords of the Blog Posts.
Hello JSD Miles:
No, I didn’t side step, I simply put what I feel is the shunning of gross deception. We cannot ignore it, but we can refuse to accept the game as it is offered for us to play.