Parliament Votes to Tighten Lobbyist Disclosure Rules

MPs backed a bill requiring quarterly reporting of lobbying contacts, after a committee found disclosure gaps in the existing register.

After a four-hour debate that produced more yawns than fireworks, Parliament voted 304 to 211 to tighten the rules on lobbying disclosure.

What changed

The new bill requires anyone registered as a lobbyist to file a quarterly report listing every ministerial contact they’ve had — down from the current annual declaration, which critics say was closer to a suggestion than a rule.

The argument

Supporters of the bill argued the existing register was full of gaps. A committee review published last month found that roughly one in five declared lobbying contacts were not recorded in the official register at all.

Opponents countered that the measure would bury public affairs teams in paperwork and that the real problem was enforcement, not reporting frequency.

What happens next

The bill now moves to committee stage, where amendments are expected on the definition of “lobbying contact” — the single most fought-over phrase in the entire text.

The full text of the bill and the committee’s report are linked in the sources below.

Sources

• Parliament official record of the debate
• Committee review on lobbying disclosure (published last month)