Hello. I’m Doug Chalmers, Chair of the Ethics and Integrity Commission.
Today, we have published our report and recommendations on Lobbying, Business Appointment Rules and Disclosure – topics that sit at the heart of public trust and confidence in our system of government.
Lobbying is a legitimate part of the democratic process and vital to good policy making. It should not be discouraged.
But our current systems fail to deliver the required level of transparency and, in our view, fall short of meeting the Nolan Principles.
We are therefore clear that a new approach is needed.
Our evidence-based recommendations provide a way for government to demonstrate greater openness on how it interacts with those that seek to influence its policy and commercial decisions.
It also makes recommendations on how privileged access to government could be better managed for those leaving public service, and on the disclosure of financial interests for those in government.
We are recommending that the current limited Register of Consultant Lobbyists is replaced by a register of all lobbying activity. This expansion will require primary legislation, and we urge the Government to begin work on that.
There are also important areas that can be improved immediately, as they don’t need legislation.
The first is government transparency data, where current performance often fails to meet Cabinet Office guidance. This is both surprising and concerning, as that data would help the Government identify who is, and perhaps more importantly, who isn’t, involved in the discussions that inform policy or commercial decisions.
To bring improved government transparency data and an expanded Register together, we are calling for an AI-enabled, digital platform to provide proper openness to the public, as well as better insight for policymakers.
And, we believe that work on that platform can start now, and play a part in helping government transparency data meet Cabinet Office guidance, while legislation to expand the Register is put in place.
The EIC’s forerunner, the Committee on Standards in Public Life, made recommendations back in 2021 on lobbying which were not acted upon. This government called for this urgent review of these areas. We believe that this report provides an evidence based way to build a more trustworthy system, one that will play an important part in strengthening the integrity of government decision making.