SDLP statement: New SDLP bill takes real action on lobbying and transparency

In the past weeks we have seen some discussion about the voting record of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, implying that because this party took a principled stand against a virtue-signalling “Transparency Bill” lazily copied over from Westminster. In truth, this was a piece of legislation which has brought forth no change from the status quo in any sense and fundamentally failed to achieve any of its stated objectives. We hope that the introduction of our new Lobbying and Assembly Standards Bill will consign these patently false sentiments to the dustbin of history.

The principle of this legislation was announced when the SDLP declared its clear intention to oppose the so-called “Transparency Bill” in August. In that statement, we outlined our vision for new measures to close gaps in our lobbying regime, open up greater transparency where any lobbying occurs, and ensure that those MLAs who breach current standards and rules are able to be independently sanctioned. Most importantly, our party believes that such legislation ought to have real teeth and carry rigorous mechanisms for enforcement.

The new Lobbying and Assembly Standards Bill achieves these aims and goes further. A public lobbying register would be established, akin to those found in Leinster House as well as Westminster. Stormont has been left behind when considering the standards and transparency found within other deliberative bodies for too long and therefore lacks such a register. This register would mandate the recording of a meeting’s subject where an entity attempts to lobby public officials, including spads and civil servants.

Likewise, this legislation will close the gap in law which permits Assembly members to evade the current ban on lobbying by acting as a consultant for lobbying firms. This is a gap which many in civil society, including anti-corruption organisation Transparency International, have long recommended closing as it opens the potential for MLAs to effectively evade the current prohibition on acting as lobbyists themselves. While such a ban exists in the House of Lords, it is a measure which does not exist in Stormont to our detriment.

This new development is underpinned by a new commitment to ensure that there is a fair third-party assessment of wrongdoing in the area of standards. Stormont has too often been host to a weak Standards Committee which has allowed scandals to go unpunished on the basis of partisan affiliation. The Standards Commissioner can currently do the best job in the world and outline a clear case of wrongdoing, but if the Standards Committee is bogged down in deadlocked then there can be no accountability in any sense. That is why our legislation will allow the Standards Commissioner to break any deadlock if need be to ensure that, in all cases, our institutions can be ones with integrity.

We hope and encourage all political parties to back this initiative. Our party will continue to advocate for integrity and standards in public life and we will continue to deliver on our word, as we have throughout this Assembly mandate.