DEFINITIONS OF LOBBYING AND LOBBYIST

DEFINITIONS OF LOBBYING

UNITED KINGDOM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL (UKPAC)

Lobbying means, in a professional capacity, attempting to influence, or advising those who wish to influence, the UK Government, Parliament, the devolved legislatures or administrations, regional or local government or other public bodies on any matter within their competence.

ELECTORAL REFORM SOCIETY

Definition should include any set of interests or undertaking that seeks to influence the content or form of legislation or policy decision of political, government or public agents.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANTS ASSOCIATION (PRCA)

Lobbying is the professional practice of deliberately and intentionally informing and influencing the decisions made by policy-makers involved in the public policy process. It is the process of seeking to shape the public policy agenda in order to influence government (and its institutions) and the legislative programme. In terms of registrable activity on a statutory register, lobbying refers to contact and/or communication with those working for and/or representing the institutions of government, as well as assisting lobbying through the provision of professional advice, strategy or counsel.

UNISON

Communication with public officials (elected or appointed) regarding: the formulation, amendment or adoption of legislation; the formulation, modification or adoption of regulation, policy or position of Government policy; the awarding of any contract, grant or other financial benefit by or on behalf of the government.

CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

Activities carried out in a professional capacity, in the course of business or employment, which are designed to influence government or other social policy or to help others to influence government or other social policy.

YOUTHLINK SCOTLAND

Definition of lobbying must have clear parameters. Informal contact should not be included; it should focus on formal contact (consultation responses etc.). Feels that it would be disproportionate for voluntary organisations to detail every informal contact made with civil servants.

SPINWATCH, ALLIANCE FOR LOBBYING TRANSPARENCY

Lobbying is a) arranging or facilitating contact with public officials; b) “Communication” with officials to influence legislation, regulation, or government policy, and for government contracts and grants; c) All work in support of the above, including supervision, planning and research; d) Financing think-tanks for lobbying on a particular issue.

DEFINITION OF LOBBYIST 

UNITED KINGDOM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL (UKPAC)

Lobbyists are those who, in a professional capacity, work to influence, or advise those who wish to influence, the institutions of government in the UK, in respect to:

(i) the formulation, modification or adoption of any legislative measure (including the development of proposals for legislation);

(ii) the formulation, modification or adoption of a rule, regulation or any other programme, policy or position;

(iii) the administration or execution of a governmental or other public programme or policy within the UK (including the negotiation, award or administration of a public contract, grant, loan, permit or licence).

UNLOCK DEMOCRACY, ALLIANCE FOR LOBBYING TRANSPARENCY

A lobbyist is either a paid employee or paid by a client, or receives other compensation to undertake lobbying activity.

SPINWATCH, ALLIANCE FOR LOBBYING TRANSPARENCY

A lobbyist is either a paid employee (in-house) or is paid by a client to undertake “lobbying activity.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANTS ASSOCIATION (PRCA)

A lobbyist is a professional who performs the practice of deliberately and intentionally informing and influencing the decisions made by policy-makers to reflect the interests of the lobbyist, or the interests of a party the lobbyist represents, in the public policy process. This includes contact and/or communication as well as assisting lobbying through the provision of professional advice, strategy or counsel.

SHEILA MCKECHNIE FOUNDATION

A lobbyist is any professional, individual or organisation who seeks to influence policy or political decisions through meeting with, or making direct representations to, Government Ministers and senior civil servants and other key decision-makers.

UNISON

[A lobbyist is] Someone who is either a paid employee or is paid by a client or receives other compensation to carry out lobbying activity

UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE UNION SCOTLAND

Any definition of lobbyist should include all lobbyists, not just professional lobbyists.

EPILEPSY SCOTLAND

Difficulties for charities in articulating where information-sharing ends and lobbying begins and recommended a short-term working group to consider definitions with third sector representation to consider definitions.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF NURSING

Definition of lobbyist must be limited to those who lobby on behalf of a third party or multiple clients.

LAW SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND

Definition of lobbying activity should be concise and narrowly defined. It suggests various situations which should not be covered by the definitions relating to lawyers, and some relating to parliamentary business such as committee evidence and member's bills.

LOBBYING TRANSPARENCY (SCOTLAND) BILL CONSULTATION

1. Accountability Scotland
2. Alcohol Focus Scotland
3. Alliance for Lobbying Transparency
4. ASH Scotland
5. Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen
6. Association for Scottish Public Affairs
7. Association of Professional Political Consultants Scotland
8. Association of Teachers and Lecturers Scotland
9. British Medical Association
10. Brown, Sinead
11. Cahill, Rae
12. Capability Scotland
13. CBI Scotland
14. Chartered Institute of Public Relations
15. Children in Scotland
16. Community Pharmacy Scotland
17. Cowley, Mike
18. Doolan, James
19. Electoral Reform Society Scotland
20. Epilepsy Scotland
21. Fagan, Joe
22. Federation of Small Businesses Scotland
23. Findlay, John
24. Forbes, Ian
25. Friends of the Earth Scotland
26. Glasgow City Council
27. Goddard, Nigel
28. Hauschel, Lisa
29. Haxton, Lorraine
30. Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland
31. Hinds, Martin
32. Jimmy Reid Foundation
33. Law Society of Scotland
34. McDougall, Margaret MSP
35. Miller, Craig
36. Morgan-Klein, Lawrie
37. Murray, Elaine
38. Nil by Mouth
39. Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
40. Parnell, Morag
41. Paul, George
42. Public Relations Consultants Association
43. Quality Meat Scotland
44. Royal College of Nursing
45. RSPB Scotland
46. Scotch Whisky Association
47. Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office
48. Scottish Council for Development and Industry
49. Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
50. Scottish Engineering
51. Scottish Environment Protection Agency
52. Scottish Environmental Services Association
53. Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance
54. Scottish Property Federation
55. Scottish Retail Consortium
56. Scottish Social Services Council
57. Shanks, Michael
58. Shaw, David
59. Sheila McKechnie Foundation
60. Smellie, Stephen
61. Spinwatch
62. Stonewall Scotland
63. Stuart Crawford Associates
64. STUC
65. Swan, James
66. UK Public Affairs Council
67. UNISON
68. Unite the Union
69. University and College Union Scotland
70. Unlock Democracy
71. Ward, Peter
72. Who Cares? Scotland
73. YouthLink Scotland