APPG Register at July 2010
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REGISTER OF ALL-PARTY GROUPS (As at 30 July 2010) REGISTER OF ALL-PARTY GROUPS PAGE 2 SECTION 1: COUNTRY GROUPS TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction............................................................................................................................... 2 The Nature of All-Party Groups ..................................................................................... 2 Purpose and Form of the ‘Register of All-Party Groups’............................................... 2 Purpose and Form of the ‘Approved List’ of Groups..................................................... 2 Administration of the Register and Approved List......................................................... 4 Section 1: Country Groups ...................................................................................................... 6 Section 2: Subject Groups...................................................................................................... 98 REGISTER OF ALL-PARTY GROUPS PAGE 3 SECTION 1: COUNTRY GROUPS INTRODUCTION The Nature of All-Party Groups All-party groups are regarded as relatively informal compared with other cross-party bodies such as select committees of the House. The membership of all-party groups mainly comprises backbench Members of the House of Commons and Lords but may also include ministers and non-parliamentarians. Groups flourish and wane according to the interests and enthusiasm of Members. Groups are classified either as subject groups (relating to a particular topic eg. forestry) or country groups (relating to a particular country or region). Most country groups are affiliated to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s United Kingdom Branch and/or the Inter- Parliamentary Union’s British Group. Purpose and Form of the ‘Register of All-Party Groups’ The Register was set up in accordance with a Resolution made by the House of Commons on 17 December 1985 and its main purpose is to record which all-party groups are recognised by the House, who their officers are, and what assistance groups receive from outside Parliament. Registration is compulsory for any cross-party group that has at least one officer who is from the Commons and whose membership is open to Members of either House of more than one party. Each group’s Register entry shows its title, officers, financial and material assistance received from outside Parliament, and relevant gainful occupations of its staff. For any a group that is additionally on the Approved List, details of which are below, additional information is shown on its Register entry, namely: a statement of the group’s purpose, the names of 20 qualifying members, any affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union or Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and the date of the group’s last Annual General Meeting. Purpose and Form of the ‘Approved List of All-Party Parliamentary Groups and Associate Parliamentary Groups’ The Approved List exists as a result of a Resolution made by the House of Commons in October 1984 and its main purpose is to control the extent to which groups use the House’s facilities and status. Whereas inclusion on the Register is compulsory for most groups, a group may choose whether or not to apply for inclusion on the Approved List. Most groups are on both. This is because it is only by being on the Approved List that a group gains certain entitlements (eg. use of the All- Party Notices to advertise meetings; use of the terms ‘All-Party’, ‘Associate’ and ‘Parliamentary’ in the group’s title; and priority over unlisted groups when booking meeting rooms in the Palace of Westminster). REGISTER OF ALL-PARTY GROUPS PAGE 4 SECTION 1: COUNTRY GROUPS In order to qualify for these entitlements approved groups are subject to more rules than unapproved groups. These are mainly to do with the way in which AGMs and other meetings are held and recorded, and about membership levels and party quotas. A group’s entry on the Approved List, as opposed to its entry in the Register, shows simply the group’s title and whether it is either an ‘All-Party Parliamentary Group’ or an ‘Associate Parliamentary Group’. The difference between the two terms is that in an All-Party Parliamentary Group only Members of the House of Commons or Lords have voting rights whereas an Associate Parliamentary Group additionally allows voting rights to persons who are neither. Administration of the Register and the Approved List The administration of the Register is overseen by the Committee on Standards and Privileges whereas the Administration Committee oversees the Approved List. Both the Register and the Approved List are, however, compiled and maintained by the Assistant Registrar in the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. To be included on the Register or on the Approved List a group must first complete the ‘Application Forms for Cross-Party Groups’. The ‘Guide to the Rules on All-Party Groups’, sets out the rules that apply to groups once they have been registered, one of which is that the group must notify the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards of any change required to its Register entry within 28 days of such a change arising. When the Commons is sitting, an updated edition of the Register is published every 4-6 weeks. An updated edition of the Approved List is produced every 1-2 weeks and is distributed to various departments within the Commons but not published. Complaints Complaints, whether from Members, the public or anyone else alleging that an APG has acted in breach of the rules governing the Register or Approved List, should in the first instance be sent to the Registrar of Members’ Interests in the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. The Registrar will then seek to resolve the complaint, though in serious cases the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards may seek the agreement of the Committee on Standards and Privileges to undertake a formal investigation. In minor cases of infringement of the rules on registration, the Commissioner may, at his discretion, apply the rectification procedure. Under this, a late entry is printed in bold italics in the Register for 12 months from its first appearing. More major cases may be the subject of formal investigation and will be reported to the Committee on Standards and Privileges. Information and advice about all-party groups Information about all-party groups (including the Guide to the Rules on APGs, the Register of APGs and the Application Forms for Cross-Party Groups) can be found at www.parliament.uk by looking under ‘All-Party Groups’ in the A-Z Index on the home page there. Should you require any further advice please contact: REGISTER OF ALL-PARTY GROUPS PAGE 5 SECTION 1: COUNTRY GROUPS The Assistant Registrar Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards House of Commons London SW1A OAA Tel: 020 7219 0401 Fax: 020 7219 0490 Website: www.parliament.uk/pcs Email: [email protected] REGISTER OF ALL-PARTY GROUPS PAGE 6 SECTION 1: COUNTRY GROUPS INDEX FOR COUNTRY GROUPS Page Africa..............................................................................................................................................9 Albania.........................................................................................................................................10 America........................................................................................................................................11 Armenia .......................................................................................................................................13 Asean Region ...............................................................................................................................14 Australia and New Zealand........................................................................................................15 Austria..........................................................................................................................................16 Azerbaijan ...................................................................................................................................17 Bahrain.........................................................................................................................................18 Bangladesh...................................................................................................................................19 Belgium ........................................................................................................................................20 Belize ............................................................................................................................................21 Bermuda.......................................................................................................................................22 Bolivia...........................................................................................................................................23 Botswana......................................................................................................................................24 Brazil ............................................................................................................................................25 Bulgaria........................................................................................................................................26 Cambodia.....................................................................................................................................27