Following the publication of regulations from the Cabinet Office on the Lobbying Register, both the PRCA and APPC have welcomed the further clarification provided, but have cautioned the industry that there are still unanswered questions.
The Cabinet Office confirmed that the cost of registering in the first year will not exceed £750, which is lower than many were predicting. Full details of the costs incurred can be found in the Cabinet Office release, which follows last year’s consultation.
The fee will be split into three parts:
- a charge in respect of processing each application to register;
- a charge in respect of processing each information return; and
- an annual maintenance charge.
Today’s announcement comes after there was no mention of the proposed charging structure in the Lobbying Act. It also offers further clarification about what information the Register will feature, and details of limitations on duty to supply information.
PRCA Director General Francis Ingham commented: "Our industry has been campaigning for clarity since the Lobbying Bill started; we’re glad to see, a year after it received Royal Ascent, that the matter of fees is finally being addressed.
"In this first year, no one will pay more than £750 to appear on the statutory register. This is not as punitive as it could be and much less than the original Cabinet Office estimates of a register which would cost £0.5m to run in the first year.
"All of this comes with a warning: the entire cost of the statutory register has to be borne by the lobbying industry. If their running costs are too high, their technology too expensive and the Cabinet Office’s original estimates correct, this figure will be revised and the industry will suffer.
“This cost is lower than many predicted, but everyone involved has to remember that we are being asked to pay hundreds of pounds for the privilege of being on a register which has less information than voluntary registers that have served us well for years.”
Iain Anderson, Chairman of the APPC, said: “At long last we now have the charging structure for the statutory register confirmed as £700 per firm and £12.50 per quarterly entry.
“However, there are still an wide number of issues to clarify with the Registrar in terms of the definitions of the Guidance for consultant lobbyists. We are actively engaged in this clarification now for our members.”