Back to the regulation of public affairs professionals, and the PR media tell us that progress is being made with the voluntary register. The UK Public Affairs Council are pushing ahead to show that they have a model that works.
They have appointed a new chair, Elizabeth France. Though a quick visit to their website shows that it hasn’t been updated for a couple of months. That is after you wade through the other 'UKPAC's that come up on the google search.
So not a great online strategy from a group of influential communicators. Doesn’t quite bode well for an organisation that will bring transparency, and the most up-to-date information, to the public.
In Westminster, Conservative Minister Mark Harper seems to have responsibility for this area of policy, and is meeting with UKPAC to discuss the way forward. The language seems constructive and there may well be areas of agreement between the Coalition and UKPAC.
However, there are a number of fundamentals that may cause problems.
The UKPAC is based upon membership of the various member organisations, either as an individual or a corporate member. I wish that everyone was a member of such organisations, it can only strengthen the profession. However, there are a great number of people who are not members. Some, particularly in-house practitioners, will not see themselves as part of the PR profession.
And for lobbyists working with law firms, we return to the issues of client confidentiality which will over-ride any voluntary code. The view of law firms, such as DLA Piper, is that we need a statutory register that includes everyone.
Meanwhile the Alliance of Lobbying Transparency continue to push for quicker progress in the development of regulation. I am sure that they see this as the best opportunity to bring some change.
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