The act requires a parliamentary committee to review the operation of the act from when the duty to register came into force, up to March 2020.

MSPs want to know whether the act, which aimed to “introduce a measured and proportionate register of lobbying activity”, is fulfilling its intended purpose or whether changes could be made to improve it.

Acting convener of the Public Audit & Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee, Anas Sarwar MSP, said: “This act has been up and running for several years now and we are keen to understand its effectiveness. Openness and transparency are founding principles of the Scottish Parliament while lobbying is a legitimate component of political engagement. It is important that we get the balance right.

“We are hopeful that a wide range of voices will offer views. MSPs, organisations involved in promoting transparency in decision making, journalists and individual lobbyists are amongst those likely to have views. All of which will play an important role in helping us to reach the conclusions we put to Parliament.”

The committee is particularly keen to gather views on:

• Whether the Lobbying act has addressed the concerns it set out to address
• Has it added value? If so, in what way?
• Whether there is support for a legislative approach to regulating lobbying activity and whether that support has altered since the act launched
• Is it working in the way in which it was intended? If not, what needs to change to facilitate this?
• Could the legislation be improved in any way? Why and in what way?
• Does the act cover the right groups of decision makers?
• Does the act capture the right communications – currently face to face, including via video conferencing or similar, is deemed suitable for regulated lobbying.
• The circumstances in which a person undertaking “regulated lobbying” is required to provide information about costs incurred.

Submissions to the committee can be made until 5pm on Friday 14 August 2020 via the committee’s webpage. 

After this time, the committee will consider its next steps.