Publication of Lobbying, Business Appointment Rules and Disclosure Report
The EIC has today published its first report, Lobbying, Business Appointment Rules and Disclosure, following a formal request from the Government to launch a review into these areas in March this year.
The review benefited from the participation and evidence of more than 40 stakeholders and interested groups. This was a significant commitment and we are grateful for the valuable and balanced evidence that this brought.
Doug Chalmers, Chair of the EIC, said:
“We welcomed this opportunity to look into Lobbying, Business Appointment Rules and Disclosure.
Lobbying is a good thing and an important part of the democratic process, but it must be open. The current lack of transparency and openness around lobbying fails the Nolan principles.
A key theme of the recommendations in this report is openness. Transparency is one of the key drivers of public trust. This report provides the Government with an opportunity to build a more trustworthy system, one that we believe will increase confidence in its decision making, however this requires early and positive action to our recommendations.
Openness in lobbying cannot be achieved without primarily legislation, but much can – and should – be done whilst a new bill is being drafted.
As a Commission, we promote the highest standards in public life, based on the Nolan Principles. Our research and thematic inquiries arrive at evidence-based recommendations to deliver on this remit.”
Stuart Sterling, Chief Executive of the EIC said:
“Access to government should be both open and equitable. Any requirement to record information should have ease-of-use at its heart. Technology has come a long way since the current Lobbying Act was passed, including the benefits that AI can bring. We are recommending that government uses modern but familiar technology to bring about the openness called for by Lord Nolan whilst championing use of AI to deliver for the public.”
Access the full report with our recommendations below.