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#TransparencyMatters

Transparency matters to you

In the UK, people with money and access are able to influence those in power to make decisions behind closed doors, without transparency.

These decisions affect your daily life, from the cost of your energy bill to the quality of the facilities at your nearest hospital.

Some decisions are made with the public interest in mind, but other decisions are distorted to favour private interests.

Those with deep pockets can spend significant amounts on lobbying and attempt to make sure their sectional interests come first, regardless of the social, economic or environmental consequences. Only through transparency can we find out the facts we deserve to know. Join us in our fight for a more transparent and just political system.

#TransparencyMatters

Transparency International UK's #TransparencyMatters campaign is all about the importance of transparency in the fight against corruption and the effect if has on our everyday lives. Starting with lobbying, #TransparencyMatters will make the link between activities at the top and the wide-ranging issues that affect us all. Interested in the detail? Read our new report Accountable Influence here. Want to get involved? Tell us why #TransparencyMatters to you and get involved here.

What is lobbying?

Lobbying is when an individual or group tries to influence decisions made by governments and public institutions.

In a democracy, a wide range of groups should be able to express their views on what government policy should be, and to influence those in power.

The problem is, this process can be abused by powerful companies and individuals looking to further their private interests at the public's expense.

This creates a risk that your government makes decisions promoting the commercial concerns of a particular organisation, with the public good coming second. It also neglects the interests of less wealthy and powerful groups, such as charities, community groups and people like you.

Lobbying influences the laws governments propose and implement across different parts of the UK, affecting the lives of all of us. Lobbying abuses can result in anything from the fracking ambitions of energy companies overriding the concerns of local residents and environmental groups, to the interests of the tobacco industry coming before public health. Take the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes, a proposal with overwhelming public support which was abandoned by David Cameron in 2013 MPs argued the decision was influenced by Lynton Crosby, a strategist Cameron employed who is also linked to lobbying in the tobacco industry.


Other affected issues include airport expansion, healthcare provision, welfare reform and local planning. Getting these decisions right can help our society to prosper. Getting them wrong could benefit a few private interests at the expense of the environment, society and the UK economy. In order to know whether or not there has been undue influence over the decision-making process — and to prevent it from happening — the public needs to know how decisions are made.



Who's meeting the UK Government?

Transparency International UK analysed the latest available data on UK Ministers meeting with lobbyists. This covered the 3 month period April-June 2014.

#TransparencyMatters

TransparencyMatters because without information about lobbyist meetings we can't know whether certain groups have too much influence over government decisions.

In fact, we still do not really know because the Government publishes this information late (the most recent available data is over a year old), doesn't include any meaningful detail about the meetings, and is in a format that is hard to access and analyse. If this data was better, lobbyists and those they seek to influence would be less likely to get away with abusing the system.

Type of lobbyists meeting with Ministers

April - June 2014
49 Companies 1,347 % 20 Non-governmentalorganisations 535 % 10 Others 279 % 6 Academicinstitutions 157 % 7 Tradeassociation 193 % 8 Municipal/state body 224 %
49 Companies 1,347 % 20 Non-governmental organisations 535 % 10 Others 279 % 8 Municipal/ state body 224 % 7 Trade association 193 % 6 Academic institutions 157 % A commercial business e.g. Shell, Barclays. Neither a part of a government nor a conventional for-profit business e.g. Transparency International UK, Greenpeace UK. This includes individuals, trade unions, professional bodies, semi-public bodies, religious bodies, think tanks, and professional consultants. A local or central public body e.g. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), National Rail. An organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry e.g. British Bankers Association, National Federation of Builders. An institution dedicated to education and research, which grants academic degrees e.g. University of Leeds, London School of Economics.

A wide range of groups meet with government officials seeking to influence policy. But who's doing it most? Unfortunately, the UK's lobbyist register only covers 4% of lobbyists, and records of meetings provide us with very little useful information with which to hold those involved to account.

However, we have found that almost 50 per cent of organisations meeting with Ministers are companies. The FTSE 100 are particularly well represented.

The FTSE 100 is an index of the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Of the top ten most frequent Ministerial visitors, eight were listed in the FTSE 100 (excluding public bodies, such as the BBC and Network Rail), with one of the remaining two being a trade association representing members of the FTSE.

This in itself does not suggest corrupt behaviour by these companies, and there may well be very valid reasons for the higher number of meetings government has with these organisations. But without more information about the content of these meetings you could be forgiven for thinking that those with the most money and connections exert the greatest influence over your government, while other important voices are lost.

#TransparencyMatters

#TransparencyMatters because public trust in the UK political establishment is low.

In 2013 Transparency International UK did a survey in which 59 per cent of respondents believed that the UK Government is 'entirely' or 'to a large extent' run by a few big entities acting in their own best interests. If there was more transparency about who public officials are meeting with, the government could begin to rebuild the trust of the British public.

Who are the biggest players?

Number of meetings between Ministers and most frequent visitors including the average for all lobbyists

April - June 2014

Number of meetings

Confederation ofBritish Industry 24 meetings BBC 21 meetings BAE Systems 18 meetings BT Group 22 meetings AstraZeneca 13 meetings BP 16 meetings HSBC 22 meetings Barclays 19 meetings News UK 16 meetings Shell 15 meetings Network Rail 24 meetings Rolls Royce 12 meetings

Company info

Confederation of British Industry

A lobbying organisation representing the interests of a broad range of businesses inthe UK, from FTSE 100 companies to family owned businesses and trade associations.

HSBC

One of the largest multinational banking and financial services companies in the world.

BBC (public body)

The UK's public service broadcaster, and second largest media broadcaster in the world.

Barclays

A multinational banking and financial services company.

BAE Systems

A multinational defence, security and aerospace company.It is among the world's largest defence contractors.

News UK

An American-owned newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate — Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

BP

A multinational oil company, and one of the world's six "supermajor" oil and gas companies.

Shell

A global group of energy and petrochemicals companies. It is one of the largest companies in the world and and one ofthe world's six oil and gas "supermajors".

BT Group

A multinational telecommunications services company operating in over 170 countries worldwide.

Network Rail (public body)

The owner and infrastructure manager of most of the rail network in England, Scotland and Wales.

AstraZeneca

A British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biologics company, headquartered in London. It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Rolls Royce

A public holding company that designs, develops, manufactures and services integrated power systems for use in the air, on land and at sea.

Confederation ofBritish Industry 24 meetings HSBC 22 meetings BBC 21 meetings Barclays 19 meetings BAESystems 18 meetings NewsUK 16 meetings BP 16 meetings Shell 15 meetings BT Group 22 meetings NetworkRail 24 meetings AstraZeneca 13 meetings RollsRoyce 12 meetings A lobbying organisation representing the interests of a broad range of businesses in the UK, from FTSE 100 companies to family owned businesses and trade associations. One of the largest multinational banking and financial services companies in the world. The UK's public service broadcaster, and second largest media broadcaster in the world. A multinational banking and financial services company. A multinational defence, security and aerospace company. It is among the world's largest defence contractors. An American-owned newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. A multinational oil company, and one of the world's six "supermajor" oil and gas companies. A global group of energy and petrochemicals companies. It is one of the largest companies in the world and and one of the world's six oil and gas "supermajors". A multinational telecommunications services company operating in over 170 countries worldwide. The owner and infrastructure manager of most of the rail network in England, Scotland and Wales. A British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biologics company, headquartered in London. It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. A public holding company that designs, develops, manufactures and services integrated power systems for use in the air, on land and at sea.

UK lobbying map

From Westminster to Belfast, Cardiff to Edinburgh, lobbying is happening. Which parts of the UK are making the process transparent, and which are keeping information secret? Transparency International UK have analysed how well we believe each part of the UK is protected against lobbying abuses.

We have compared the current laws across the UK with our good practice standards (find full details in our report Accountable Influence). Worryingly, you'll see no part of the UK scores higher than 50%.

#TransparencyMatters

#TransparencyMatters because the current weak laws and regulation around lobbying affect us all.

For example, restrictions around the 'revolving door' are important to prevent abuse of power by individuals moving between government/public office and jobs in the same sector. In 2014 it was reported that Tesco director and former Foods Standards Agency head, Tim Smith, persuaded the government to not publish a report into the food poisoning contamination rates for chicken in supermarkets, claiming it would cause a food scare and damage the industry.

Key lobbying measures across each constituent part of the UK

Westminster
Ministers Statutory register of lobbyists Progress by institution / typeof public official (per cent) 8 of 12 MPs Peers National score Lobbying meetings datapublished as open data There is a statutory register but its scope and reporting requirements are too narrow.Around only half publish this as open data.The body responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with these rules is not fit for purpose. 67% 6 of 12 50% 18 of 36 50% 4 of 12 33% Good Moderate Poor 2 1 0 Prohibition on paid lobbying Prohibition on payment foradvisory services Gifts and hospitality registerspublished as open data Revolving door restrictions
Scotland
The body responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with these rules is not fit for purpose. 5 of 12 42% 4 of 12 33% Statutory register of lobbyists Lobbying meetings datapublished as open data Prohibition on paid lobbying Prohibition on payment foradvisory services Gifts and hospitality registerspublished as open data Revolving door restrictions Progress by institution / typeof public official (per cent) MSPs Ministers National score Good Moderate Poor 2 1 0 9 of 24 36%
Wales
There are no restrictions on post-public employment or ban on lobbying former departments, only a requirement to seek advice from ACOBA 4 of 12 33% Statutory register of lobbyists Lobbying meetings datapublished as open data Prohibition on paid lobbying Prohibition on payment foradvisory services Gifts and hospitality registerspublished as open data Revolving door restrictions Progress by institution / typeof public official (per cent) AMs Ministers National score Good Moderate Poor 2 1 0 9 of 24 36% iv 5 of 12 42% iv
NorthernIreland
This is not explicit in the Ministerial Code and the guidance for the code is not publicly available.On 9 September 2015, the Assembly's Committee on Standards and Privileges agreed to start publishing details of Members' gifts and hospitality as open data. Statutory register of lobbyists Lobbying meetings datapublished as open data Prohibition on paid lobbying Prohibition on payment foradvisory services Gifts and hospitality registerspublished as open data Revolving door restrictions Progress by institution / typeof public official (per cent) MLAs Ministers National score Good Moderate Poor 2 1 0 v vi v vi 3 of 12 25% 2 of 12 17% 5 of 24 21%

See explanation of lobbying measures

Statutory register of lobbyists

A publicly available database providing information on who is trying to influence public policy and decision-making. A good register should include details of organisations engaged in lobbying, what they are trying to influence and how much they are spending on these activities.

Register of lobbying meetings

A publicly available database providing information on meetings between public officials and lobbyists. A good register should include the name of the organisation meeting the official, the date when the meeting occurred and meaningful information about the topics discussed.

Ban on paid lobbying by public officials

A ban on public officials (including elected representatives) from providing advisory services on how to influence laws to external organisations, such as private companies.

Ban on paid advisory services for public officials

A ban on public officials, including elected representatives, from providing advisory services to external organisations, such as private companies.

Register of financial interests

A publicly available database providing information on any financial interests held by a public official that may present a conflict of interest and any gifts or hospitality they receive because of their role.

Revolving door restrictions

Restrictions to prevent abuse of entrusted power by individuals moving between public office and jobs in the same sector in the private or voluntary sector, in either direction. This can include a cooling off period where former public officials are banned from lobbying their former employer or prevented from taking up employment with organisations they have had significant contact with in their public role.

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