Meeting of the Parliament 10 March 2016
In opening this debate, I would like to thank all members for their contributions to the development of the Lobbying (Scotland) Bill, which I hope the Parliament will approve in due course.
I opened the stage 1 debate in January by highlighting the distinct character of the bill. It has been brought fofoutrward by the Government, but it is very much parliamentary in nature. I made it clear that I was keen to work closely with the Parliament from the outset to ensure that members’ views were reflected in the bill’s framework.
Contributions to the bill’s journey have come in many forms: from Neil Findlay’s proposal for a member’s bill; from the late Helen Eadie’s suggestion that the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee conduct an inquiry into the most appropriate measures required in the Scottish context; and from the subsequent inquiry and committee report of that inquiry, which was published in February 2015. Of the 17 recommendations in that report, 12 fell within the scope of the bill and were reflected in whole or in part in the bill as introduced.
The Government’s consultation, published in May 2015, maintained the momentum of stakeholder engagement. Following the bill’s introduction, that momentum continued through the committee’s calls for evidence and its stage 1 report, which was published in December 2015, as well as its endorsement of the general principles of the bill. All 13 recommendations in the committee’s report had been or were actioned by the Government. Of course, the momentum also continued through the contributions made by members during the bill’s parliamentary passage.
All those steps evidence the collaborative working between the Government and the Parliament that is indicative of the Scottish democratic process, of which we are rightly proud. That collaborative working has—importantly—involved stakeholders, who have helped to shape the bill to ensure that it will work for lobbyists, for businesses and organisations, for transparency campaign groups and, most importantly, for citizens.