What the Lobbying (Scotland) Act will do
The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 became law in April 2016.
The Act is designed to improve transparency of lobbying contact between organisations and:
- Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
- Members of the Scottish Government (including Scottish Law Officers)
- Junior Scottish Ministers
- Scottish Government Special Advisers
- The Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government
Read a summary of the Bill’s progression through the Scottish Parliament (120KB pdf)
Read the full details on the parliamentary scrutiny of the Bill
Timetable for the Lobbying Register
After the Lobbying (Scotland) Bill received Royal Assent in April 2016, it was envisaged that a register should be fully operational within 18 to 24 months.
In October 2017 the Lobbying Register website was launched at www.lobbying.scot It was also announced that the Act would come into force fully from 12 March 2018.
In the video below, Billy McLaren, the Lobbying Registrar, talks about what you need to know about regulated lobbying.