Government Affairs Blog

Lobbying

PR Week has reported that MPs are to launch an enquiry into the lobbying industry.  The Public Administrations Committee has listed ten questions to begin the process.

The first is: what does it mean for an organisation to lobby government or Parliament? 

According to Wikipedia lobbying is “a concerted effort designed to achieve some result, typically from government authorities or elected officials”. 

It is unlikely that providing a definition like this will satisfy Committee Chairman Tony Wright.  Presumably, he, and his colleagues, will want to know how the activity is realised.  Lobbying has not had a good reputation.  One only has to read Toxic Sludge is good for you or watch Thank you for smoking to see that the industry is not held in high esteem. 

The first question alone raises many interesting issues.  The next nine should provide a platform for a thoughtful debate about how lobbying operates in the UK and its effect on parliamentary democracy. 

This is something that the public affairs industry should welcome.  Practitioners will hear how parliamentarians see their activities and they will have the opportunity to explain MPs what they do.  Transparency is vital for a healthy political process, furthermore it is ethical.

The Committee will be inviting written evidence.  This will give the practitioners not asked to give oral evidence an opportunity to offer their views.

Simon Goldie is Head of Communication at The Chartered Institute of Taxation – www.tax.org.uk - and a member of the CIPR GAG committee