Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Tuesday Volume 563 4 June 2013 No. 11 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 4 June 2013 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2013 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1363 4 JUNE 2013 1364 accountable. As we have said throughout the process, it House of Commons is important that we get this right. We will announce more details in the coming weeks. The hon. Lady will be Tuesday 4 June 2013 aware from the proposals already put forward that the intention is to regulate third-party lobbyists. Let us not forget what this is for: it is about knowing who is The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock lobbying and on behalf of whom. PRAYERS Mr Douglas Carswell (Clacton) (Con): In order to tackle some of these concerns, the suggestion has been made that we should have a right of recall. Will the [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Minister confirm that a right of recall would include a recall ballot, so that instead of leaving it to a committee BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS of grandees in Westminster to decide an MP’s future, constituents would have the chance for a final say? LONDON LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND TRANSPORT FOR LONDON (NO.2)BILL [LORDS] Mr Speaker: That is very wide, but we will have a Consideration of Bill, as amended, opposed and deferred brief reply from the Minister and then move on. until 11 June (Standing Order No. 20). Miss Smith: My hon. Friend and I have exchanged views on this subject a number of times, and I look forward to doing so again. As to what we are discussing Oral Answers to Questions today, Mr Speaker, you and he will know that there was a draft Bill. We continue to work through its detail and I look forward to bringing forward the further details in due course. DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER 11. [157204] Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab): Given that The Deputy Prime Minister was asked— MPs across the parties, and particularly those of us elected in 2010, have been calling for action on lobbyists Mr Speaker: Order. Before I call the first question to since we were first elected, why has it taken three years, the Deputy Prime Minister, hon. and right hon. Members and still no action? When will we actually have a register may have noted that there are only four substantive in place? questions to the Attorney-General on today’s Order Paper; six were withdrawn yesterday. It may be helpful for the House to be aware that if we exhaust questions Miss Smith: There are two points: one, we are doing to the Attorney-General before 12.30, we will revert to it; and two, the Opposition did not do it 13 years. topical questions to the Deputy Prime Minister. Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con): Although Regulation of Lobbyists we all strongly support openness and transparency of the kind that the Minister has described, does she agree with me that the sort of blatant entrapment carried out 1. Katy Clark (North Ayrshire and Arran) (Lab): by the “Panorama” programme at the weekend would When he plans to bring forward legislative proposals not have been prevented by any such register of lobbyists? on the regulation of lobbyists. [157193] Does she also agree that there is a risk of doing something simply in order to be seen to be doing something The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Miss Chloe without addressing the real problems besetting us? Smith): The Government have repeatedly made very clear their commitment to introducing a statutory register of lobbyists. The events that have unfolded over the Miss Smith: Mr Speaker, I do not think you would weekend demonstrate just how important transparency want me to go into the details of the particular case to in political life is. We will therefore introduce legislation which my hon. Friend refers. It is important to draw to provide for a lobbying register before the summer from that, however, that the public expect us to act, that recess. The register will go ahead as part of a broad we have said for quite some time that we shall be doing package of measures to tighten the rules on how third this and that we are bringing forward the details from parties can influence our political system. now onwards. I think that a number of factors might have gone into the events that we saw unfold over the Katy Clark: Given what has happened over the last weekend, and it is important to take a wider look at few days, does the Minister accept that the public expect some of them. full transparency on how big business and money try to influence decisions? Will the legislation include not just 13. [157206] Mr Iain McKenzie (Inverclyde) (Lab): Why lobbying companies but in-house lobbyist for-profit are the Government conflating the issues of regulating organisations? lobbyists with those of party funding, when previously no links whatever were made between them? Is this a Miss Smith: The aim of any reform in this area must, shoddy tactic of the Prime Minister and the Government I think, be to ensure that the activities of outside to get them out of a hole, given that they have done organisations are transparent to the general public and nothing about regulating lobbying before now? 1365 Oral Answers4 JUNE 2013 Oral Answers 1366 Miss Smith: As I think I have made clear, this is about Pat Glass: Given the Deputy Prime Minister’s answer, third parties more generally, and it is right to understand will he now support Lord Steel’s private Member’s Bill how third parties can influence the political process in on limited recall of the House of Lords? general. It is something in which the general public will take a great interest. The Deputy Prime Minister: I see no need for a stand -alone Bill on House of Lords reform, not least because John Stevenson (Carlisle) (Con): Does the Minister the real reform—namely, the introduction of democracy agree that trade unions are also lobbyists, so if legislation —has not made progress. As I have said, however, there is to be brought forward, they should be included in it? are a few very specific housekeeping measures that we could incorporate, and would be prepared to consider Miss Smith: I think that our legislative proposals will incorporating, in a wider Bill if the need arose during allow ample opportunity for that and other issues to be the coming period. discussed. It has been shown in the last few days that there is enormous public concern about the external Mr Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex) (Con): influences that can arise in relation to people who make Why did my right hon. Friend choose to answer this laws, and I think it right for third parties and undue question and not the question about lobbying, which influence to be considered. has been in his in-tray for the last three years? Sadiq Khan (Tooting) (Lab): I am sure that the Minister The Deputy Prime Minister: In a spirit of coalition is as disappointed and disgusted as all other harmony, of course. parliamentarians by the allegations made in the media over the weekend. She will be aware that the manifestos Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab): Owing to the opposition of all three main parties contained commitments to of large elements of the Conservative party, the Deputy make lobbying more transparent, and to give the electorate Prime Minister’s plans for Lords reform came to nowt. more power to hold Members of Parliament to account. Will he now co-operate with our party to ensure that Does she agree that if these proposals are to be implemented the excesses and alleged abuses in the other place are swiftly, and if the resulting measures are to be enduring, tackled immediately? all-party support and work will be necessary? Will she ensure that all parties are involved in the work that will take place before the Bill is published? The Deputy Prime Minister: That is pretty rich, coming from a Front Bencher of a party which, despite its own Miss Smith: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime long-standing manifesto commitment in favour of Minister and I look forward greatly to working with the democracy in the House of Lords, could not even bring right hon. Gentleman and others to support proposals itself to support a timetable motion to make that a that will make the activities of third parties more transparent reality. to the public. As I said earlier, if specific housekeeping measures are necessary—involving Members of the House of Lords Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): Given that who have committed crimes and should not be there, or the proposals constituted a strong part of the coalition who have never attended and should not be there, or agreement, why were they not included in this year’s involving voluntary retirement—and if we can sweep Queen’s Speech? those measures up into a wider Bill such as the one providing for the recall of MPs, we shall be prepared to Miss Smith: We made it clear all along that we consider doing so. intended to introduce this Bill. Working on the detail is important, and I think all Members will welcome the Graham Evans (Weaver Vale) (Con): While he is in a fact that we are doing that now. reforming mood, will my right hon.