Ministers to consider plans for a register of lobbyists

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15328122

 

Ministers are to consult on plans for a register of lobbyists according to government sources.

 

It comes after Liam Fox quit as defence secretary for allowing "distinctions to be blurred" between his professional role and friendship with Adam Werritty.

 

Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC "legitimate questions" had been raised about political lobbying.

 

Labour has urged the government to introduce a compulsory register of lobbyists "as a matter of urgency".

 

Speaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Hague said he expected the prime minister to take stock once the cabinet secretary's report into Mr Fox's conduct was published on Tuesday.

 

He added that the prime minister would then consider what action to take, in particular over the role of lobbyists.

 

The BBC News Channel's chief political correspondent, Norman Smith, said ministers are to consult on the plans by the end of the year with legislation being introduced next year.

 

(important bit coming up) The register was a policy of the coalition agreement which states: "We will regulate lobbying through introducing a statutory register of lobbyists and ensuring greater transparency."

Labour's shadow cabinet office minister Gareth Thomas said: "David Cameron has still not introduced the compulsory register of lobbyists he promised.

 

"In the wake of the Adam Werritty and Atlantic Bridge activities it is now essential we have greater transparency.

 

"The government should bring forward as a matter of urgency plans for a compulsory register of lobbyists with records being kept of meetings between lobbyists and ministers."

 

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the prime minister and the cabinet secretary would look at what lessons could be learned.

 

Mr Cameron was committed to "cleaning up politics," he told Sky News's Murnaghan programme, adding: "We make a virtue of openness."

 

Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy has called for a wider inquiry, once the initial report is published.

Liam Fox An inquiry into Mr Fox's conduct is due to publish its findings on Tuesday

 

"It's now clear that there are much wider issues at stake: access to money; access to influence; money off the books; money undeclared influence. And I think what we need to do is follow the money trail and see where it leads us," he told BBC One's Politics Show.

 

Politicians from all parties have, over the years, called for action to be taken on lobbyists, according to our correspondent.

 

Successive inquiries into the regulating lobbyists at Westminster go back to 1983.

 

In 2009 the Public Administration Committee called for a statutory register, which would include a list of all lobbyists, their clients and a diary of all meetings with "decision makers."

 

In June, the European Union introduced a voluntary Transparency Register for lobbyists to sign up to as part of plans to show who is involved at influencing the EU decision-making process.

 

Meanwhile, the City of London police are considering whether to investigate Mr Werritty for fraud for using business cards falsely claiming he was an adviser to Mr Fox.

 

Mr Fox resigned from his cabinet post on Friday after a week of damaging headlines over his working relationship with Mr Werritty, his former flatmate and best man.

 

It emerged that Mr Werritty had met Mr Fox 22 times at the Ministry of Defence and joined him on 18 overseas trips since he came to office last year - despite having no official role.

 

Mr Werritty was present at meetings Mr Fox had with military figures, diplomats and defence contractors.

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So, 18 months into the Coalition, and the promised "Lobby List" has yet to materialise.... Why are Cameron, Clegg and Co "considering" this..? Presumably if it was in the Coalition Agreement, then it's already BEEN considered..... It begs the question originally asked, are the lobbyists lobbying for it to be "delayed" or "kicked into the long grass"...? 18 months is surely more than enough time for "consideration"..... -_-

I suspect there may well have been representations from lobbyists. Whether that is a reason for the delay is open to speculation.

 

However, to give the government the benefit of the doubt, the term "consideration" could easily mean that they are considering exactly what form the register should take. Who has to register? What details are required? Should meetings be registered in advance or after the event? If the latter, how long afterwards?

 

I get the impression that the Lib Dems are keener to make progress on this than the Tories which is hardly surprising. I also suspect very little progress has been made in 18 months. Obviously ministers would argue that other issues (including other parts of the Coalition Agreement) have been given higher priority.

 

Clearly the Fox affair has demonstrated why action is needed so let's hope they dust off that 2009 report and do something about it.

George Monbiot has a useful contribution to the debate in today's Guardian

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...ks-sway-opinion

George Monbiot has a useful contribution to the debate in today's Guardian

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...ks-sway-opinion

 

That's another reason why this "Lobby List" needs to be sorted out as soon as possible.... Lobbyists and "Think Tanks" are, as far as I'm concerned, a danger to democracy....

The Times are suggesting that charities (genuine ones as well as Tory front organisations such as the Atlantic Bridge) and trade unions could be forced to register as lobbyists. Of course that story could have come from lobbyists.

That's another reason why this "Lobby List" needs to be sorted out as soon as possible.... Lobbyists and "Think Tanks" are, as far as I'm concerned, a danger to democracy....

Think tanks are fine as long as we know how they are funded. They can be a good way of generating ideas outside political parties. Obviously there will be times when governments pick up daft ideas (the Poll Tax as dreamed up by the Adam Smith Institute) but that doesn't mean that all think tanks are a bad thing.

..And Liam Fox Syndrome seems to be spreading in the Conned'em ranks.... -_-

 

 

Second Conservative minister accused of blurring role of adviser

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oc...P=FBCNETTXT9038Climate change minister Greg Barker under scrutiny after consultant handed out business cards bearing Decc's name

 

Another Conservative minister has been accused of blurring the role of a close adviser after an outside consultant with clients including BAA, Sky and Morgan Stanley was given a job in his department and handed out business cards bearing its name.

 

Greg Barker, the minister for climate change, worked closely in opposition with Miriam Maes, a Dutch-born environmental expert who also runs Foresee, a company paid to advise multinational companies on climate change policy.

 

She was given a departmental staff pass to enter the building and continued to advise the minister after her departmental contract expired in May. Until Monday she claimed on her website to be an adviser to Barker.

 

A source close to the ministry said Mae was given business cards, which was an unusual move. "She handed them out to people she met in ministerial meetings," the source said.

 

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) has denied she was a formal government adviser to Barker, saying instead that she advised his department, which is a wholly different position.

 

"In her capacity as a delivery adviser to Decc on energy efficiency, she was given a business card," a Decc spokesman said.

 

Maes has now been asked to change her website to reflect that she is an adviser to the ministry and not the minister, the spokesman added.

 

"Miriam Maes is an expert in energy efficiency and worked for Decc on a consultancy basis as a delivery adviser between September 2010 and May this year following a competition. She was not appointed as an adviser to the minister of state, and we have asked Ms Maes to make that clearer on her website in order to avoid any misunderstanding," the spokesman said.

 

"The competition [for her job] was run by inviting a number of candidates considered to be energy efficiency experts to submit tenders. Miriam was appointed following sifting and an interview."

 

On Monday, Foresee's website said: "In September 2010, Foresee's CEO, Miriam Maes, was appointed as delivery adviser to the minister of state for energy and climate change Gregory Barker in the Department for Energy and Climate Change."

 

On Tuesday, after the ministry was contacted by the Guardian, the wording was changed to say: "In September 2010, Foresee's CEO Miriam Maes was appointed as delivery adviser to the Department for Energy and Climate Change."

 

The Labour MP John Mann said the case raises questions for Barker and the government following Liam Fox's resignation over his relationship with an unofficial adviser, Adam Werritty. Werritty also handed out business cards claiming he was an adviser to the minister but Maes, at least, was known to the ministry.

 

"Greg Barker should have fully declared his past relationship with this person, whether it is written in the rules or not. There needs to be transparency about all ministerial connections with advisers. We need to know whether Barker was involved in her appointment, whether she stayed within her remit and if she is a special adviser who has been brought in through the back door, just like Werritty," he said.

 

Unlike in the Werritty case, Decc says it was fully aware that she was his adviser before he joined the ministry.

 

Barker has not declared any meetings with Maes or Foresee Ltd in attendance. The ministerial code states that ministers may meet many people and organisations and consider a wide range of views as part of the formulation of government policy, but should declare their encounters. "Departments will publish, at least quarterly, details of ministers' external meetings," the code says.

 

Her company received eight payments from Decc for "technical advice", between November 2010 and June 2011. These total £30,413.20.

 

Maes has worked for multinationals for 30 years. Her climate change consultancy company advises a number of companies including BAA, Sky, Morgan Stanley, Royal Mail and Centrica.

 

Special advisers, who are employed to advise ministers on political issues, are required to register their business interests with the parliamentary authorities.

 

Maes appears to have broken company law in registering companies under two different identities. Under the name Miriam Maes, she has registered 20 directorships, and has resigned from all of those positions. Under her other identity Maria Henrica Maes, she has registered 13 directorships, including that of Foresee Ltd, and has resigned from nine of those.

 

Maes admitted that she has used two identities to register at Companies House but said that this was because she used both her real names Maria Henrica and her nickname of Miriam whilst registering companies. "There has been no serious breach as I am the same person," she said