New inquiry into Government's lobbying bill

Terms of reference for the inquiry

The Committee is seeking answers to the following questions

1. Is the definition of “consultant lobbyist” in clause 2 of the Bill likely to lead to a register that enhances transparency about lobbying? 
2. Are the definition of “consultant lobbyist” in clause 2 of the Bill and the list of exceptions in schedule 1 of the Bill likely to have any unintended consequences? 
3. Is the information that the Bill requires to be listed on the register sufficient to enhance transparency about lobbying? 
4. Are there any potential problems with the role envisaged for the Registrar?
5. Does the absence of provision for a statutory or hybrid code of conduct in the Bill present any problems?
6. Are there any further issues raised by Part 1 of the Bill, including drafting issues, that you would like to draw to the Committee’s attention?

The Committee would be pleased to receive submissions that cover some or all of the points listed above.  Please note that the Committee’s inquiry is focused on Part 1 of the Bill (Registration of Consultant Lobbyists) and, while it may be appropriate to refer to the other Parts of the Bill (Non-party campaigning and Trade Unions’ Registers of Members) in passing, the Committee will not be considering detailed submissions on these Parts.

How to respond

The deadline for written submissions is Friday 23 August 2013.  The short deadline is to accommodate the likely legislative timetable for the Bill.  Submissions should not significantly exceed 3,000 words unless this has been cleared in advance with the Committee secretariat.  Written responses to the Committee will be treated as evidence to the Committee and may be published. If you object to your response being made public in a volume of evidence, please make this clear when it is submitted. Responses should be submitted by email in Microsoft Word or rich text format to pcrc@parliament.uk

If you are considering submitting written evidence please read the following guidelines

• Guidance on submitting written evidence