Meeting of the Parliament 10 March 2016
Patricia Ferguson’s amendments 12, 15 and 14 would substantially broaden the definition of regulated lobbying by including other forms of communication—particularly communication by electronic and written means. They would also give the Parliament the power by resolution to modify, add to or remove the types of communication that the bill covers.
The Government’s view, which is supported by the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee’s inquiry into lobbying, remains that face-to-face lobbying is the most influential. As I made clear at stage 2, the Government does not support extending the definition of regulated lobbying to include other forms of communication.
I am not persuaded that the additional burden that such an extension could place on organisations has been properly thought through. That view is supported by many stakeholders, including the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Federation of Small Businesses.
The Government listened to views and lodged an amendment, agreed to at stage 2, to extend the scope of face-to-face communications to include communication by videoconferencing or its equivalent, in addition to communication in person.
The review provision, which was inserted into the bill at stage 2, provides an opportunity to learn from experience in the operation of the act and to found any changes to the types of communication that are covered on a clear evidence base.