18 September 2024
We have today published the Scottish Parliament Lobbying Register 2024 Annual Report.
This sixth annual report, and the associated data that accompanies it, provides information and figures for the period from 13 June 2023 to 12 June 2024.
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1 March 2024
Information Notice
An Information Notice was issued under Section 17 of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 to Pentland Communications on 17 January 2024.
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13 September 2023
We have today published the Scottish Parliament Lobbying Register 2023 Annual Report.
This fifth annual report, and the associated data that accompanies it, provides information and figures for the period from 13 June 2022 to 12 June 2023.
For an organisation active on the Lobbying Register, the Compliance section of the report in particular should be reviewed. This will help ensure active organisations are aware of, and operating within, the legislative requirements for their organisation.
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29 June 2023
Upcoming Lobbying Register website enhancements
Following ongoing feedback from registrants, the Lobbying Register website will be updated this summer.
This will deliver a new dashboard landing page for registrants, providing at-a-glance information and a one-stop area for registrants to:
- check the status of information returns
- check on returns ‘never submitted’
- see their current statutory submission period
- note when registration details were last updated
- check their registered email address
- submit an information return or a nil return
Other improvements will include:
- an upgraded ‘public’ search: including an improvement of the CSV function, to ensure it copes with larger search requests. Plus, more choices when searching for published information returns and registrant information details.
- ‘Ghost text’ guidance in key areas of the information return for registrants
- statutory submission period selection for registrants on information returns/nil returns
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19 October 2022
The Scottish Parliament's Lobbying Register Team has published its fourth Annual Report. This report, and the associated data that accompanies it, provides information and figures for the period from 13 June 2021 to 12 June 2022.
For an organisation active on the Lobbying Register, the Compliance section of the report in particular should be reviewed. This will help ensure active organisations are aware of, and operating within, the legislative requirements for their organisation.
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12 October 2021
The Scottish Parliament's Lobbying Register Team has published its third Annual Report. This report, and the associated data that accompanies it, provides information and figures for the period from 13 June 2020 to 12 June 2021.
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16 March 2021
The Lobbying Register Team has issued the following guidance relating to regulated lobbying and the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections:
Under section 13 of the Scotland Act 1998, the term of office of a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) ends with the dissolution of the Parliament.
In normal circumstances, the dissolution date falls about six weeks prior to the day of the election. Following dissolution, ‘regulated lobbying’ under the Lobbying Act, where it involves regulated lobbying of an MSP, would next be applicable once new MSPs have been returned.
However, in these unique times, Parliament has agreed to enter a period of recess instead, from Thursday 25 March, rather than being dissolved on that date. This change is to ensure that the Parliament can be recalled, should ongoing public health matters require it.
As such, if you are continuing to engage in regulated lobbying with any MSP, in relation to Government or parliamentary functions, after the recess period starting on 25 March, then this would continue to be a registrable activity.
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30 October 2020
The Scottish Parliament's Lobbying Register Team has published its second Annual Report. This report provides information and figures for the period from 13 June 2019 to 12 June 2020.
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5 June 2020
The Lobbying Register Team continues to work safely and remotely from home during this period of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We are continuing to assist registrants by publishing Information Returns and in responding to any queries users and visitors to the Register may have.
You may also find it helpful to note the following information.
Statutory Return Periods
We are encouraging organisations which have engaged in regulated lobbying to continue to submit Information Returns, for publication to the Lobbying Register. This includes regulated lobbying during video conferences (see further below).
We are aware however that many registrants are operating in very difficult circumstances, particularly those with trading status concerns or which have lost or furloughed key staff who normally administer regulated lobbying requirements.
Given these current impacts, we have emailed registrants about the administrative arrangements which apply during this current period. Please get in touch with the team at lobbying@parliament.scot if you have yet to receive this email.
Video Conference Meetings
As referred to above, video conferencing is a tool that many of us are now using more frequently in a professional and personal capacity. The Lobbying Register Team has seen an upturn in the number of Information Returns submitted which detail communications made via conferencing facilities.
We are also receiving more queries on what form of telecommunications methods are covered by the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. In terms of what constitutes a ‘regulated’ lobbying communication, this extract from section 1 of the Act may be useful:
- a communication which “is made in person or, if not made in person, is made using equipment which is intended to enable an individual making a communication and an individual receiving that communication to see and hear each other while that communication is being made”
When submitting an Information Return for a video conference, use the location where the video conference has been initiated within the address field in the return, rather than the location of the person lobbied. If this location is an individual’s home address then, having regard to ‘personal data’ considerations, it will be sufficient to insert ‘Private Residence – Address withheld’.
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07 November 2019
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (Designation of Persons as Scottish Public Authorities) Order 2019 comes into force on 11 November 2019. It provides for the extension of coverage of the 2002 Act to any Registered Social Landlord as defined in section 165 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010, and to any connected body under section 164(c) of the 2010 Act.
This has implications so far as the position of Registered Social Landlords engaging with the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 are concerned. As you will be aware, the 2016 Act exempts communications made by or on behalf of a local authority, and also, per paragraph 22(d) of the schedule, communications made by or on behalf of ‘any other Scottish public authority within the meaning of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The effect of the 2002 Act’s extended coverage is that Registered Social Landlords which fall under the definition in the 2010 Act will therefore no longer be engaged in ‘regulated lobbying’ for the purposes of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016.
Any organisation that is an active registrant on the Scottish Lobbying Register, and to which this new Order may be relevant, should therefore take steps to satisfy itself that it is no longer required to submit instances of regulated lobbying after 11 November. This will involve checking whether the organisation falls under the definition of a Registered Social Landlord under section 165/164(c) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010.
Until this date, organisations should continue to fulfil their statutory requirements to submit any instances of regulated communications under Section 11 of the Act.
Section 12 of the Act permits an organisation to make an application to the Clerk of the Scottish Parliament to have its status reclassified as an inactive registrant after this date. Please note that organisations will require to follow closely the requirements of section 12 in making such an application. These are quite detailed, and the Lobbying Register Team will be happy to assist organisations in regard to the process under section 12’.
Organisations may also wish to note that the option to register as a voluntary registrant under Section 14 of the Act will be available following confirmation by the Lobbying Register Team that it is now classified as an inactive registrant. Again, the team would be happy to discuss further with any registrant that wishes to take up this option under section 14. Please contact us at lobbying@parliament.scot or 0131 348 5408.
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27 September 2019
The Lobbying Register Team has published its first Annual Report. This report provides information on progress made since the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 came into force and covers the period from 12 March 2018 until 12 June 2019.
We have also produced a promotional video that captures the highlights of the Annual Report.
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12 March 2018
The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 has now come into force. The lobbying register is open for organisations to register details at www.lobbying.scot.
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18 January 2017
The Lobbying Register Team now has a Twitter account. Please follow SP_LobbyingScot for more information and details of the work being undertaken as we move towards the commencement of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 on 12 March 2018.
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08 December 2017
The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 requires the Scottish Parliament to publish a code of conduct for persons lobbying members of the Scottish Parliament. This Code of Conduct has been produced to meet this statutory obligation.
This Code of Conduct covers making a communication of any kind to a member of the Scottish Parliament in relation to the member's functions. It does not relate solely to "regulated lobbying" as defined in Section 1 of the Act.
When registering an account on the Lobbying Register, in order to comply with the requirements of the Act, you will also be required to provide information about any other code of conduct to which you subscribe which governs regulated lobbying (whether or not it also governs other activities). Please note that not all organisations will subscribe to such a code.
