MSPs to review working of Lobbying (Scotland) Act

A review of the operation of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 has been opened by the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit & Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee.

MSPs have issued a call for evidence on whether the Act has met the concerns it was seeking to address, whether it is working in the way it was intended, whether it has improved transparency, and whether further changes are needed, among other questions.

The review is required by s 50 of the Act, which highlights two specific areas where recommendations for change may be made: the circumstances in which the regulated lobbying is deemed to have taken place, and the circumstances in which a person undertaking regulated lobbying is required to provide information, to be included in the lobbying register, about costs incurred. 

Click here to view the call for evidence. The deadline for written submissions is 5pm on Friday 14 August 2020.