‘Almost pointless’ lobbying bill would exclude phone calls, emails and letters from register

The laws would only require that face-to-face contact with MSPs and ministers be declared on a new register, with all other forms of communication left unscrutinised.

SNP ministers have also revised the proposals so that only organisations rather than individuals would have to join the register in what has been called an “almost pointless” bill.

Other gaps include the lack of provision to make companies reveal how much they spend on campaigns meant to influence politicians or a declaration of contact with civil servants or special advisers.

But the Scottish government has insisted the register would create a “measured and proportionate” system.

Holyrood’s Standards Committee heard evidence on the proposed rules, withDr Willaim Dinan director of transparency campaign group Spinwatchsaying the exclusion of emails and forms of electronic communications was “frankly ludicrous”.

Professor Raj Chari, a political scientist at Trinity College, Dublin, described the omissions as “quite striking”.

He said: “I’ve never seen this sort of wording before. It pains me to say that even the UK recognises that lobbying takes place by way of written communication.”

Labour MSP Neil Findlay, who first proposed lobbying laws said the bill was “a travesty”.

He added: “The bill appears to be living in the 18th or 19th century and hasn’t realised that the telephone and the computer have been invented, that we do things like conference calls and the like.

“I think we have significantly moved on since that was the way in which people lobbied politicians and I think the bill has to recognise that.”

Committee convener, Stewart Stevenson, suggested that MSPs would amend the bill to cover more than face-to-face communications.

But the Scottish government would nevertheless retain the right to use its parliamentary majority in striking out measures at a later stage.