Political and Constitutional Reform CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Simon Cramp
1. To give you some background to me, I am writing as a private individual as I have lobbied government ministers and officials on a voluntary basis, but also until recently for two major learning disabilities charities who were not for profit in more of a campaigning role in trying to get a better deal for people with a learning disability.
2. I am 40 years old and live in Chesterfield. I don’t have any children and I am single and basically I have been to conferences in the social care sector and ask the question everyone wants to ask but dare not ask sometimes for people rights and fairness.
3. I hope to answer the questions fully as best as I can and help your inquiry from the perspective of someone with three hidden disabilities, sorry forgot to mention I am dyslexic and dyspraxia.
Questions
Does the Government’s consultation paper represent a balanced approach to the idea of a statutory register?
Does the paper present the evidence in a balanced way?
Are you confident that the issues covered are ones on which the Government has an open mind?
Is the Government clear wherever it has a preference for a particular option, and is this preference in each case a reasonable one?
4. No I am not clear what the Government is calling a lobbyist because the chance that a small organisation or something like the national forum for people with learning disability is not going to get a chance to meet ministers, because people with disability don’t have much influence.
5. And on page 14 what the document going on about the rules for non department bodies, I can’t find any document on the Cabinet Office website so why mention it .
6. I think it a dog breakfast as it too wishy-washy on what it define as a lobbyist.
Does the consultation paper contain the right questions?
Is each of the questions asked in a balanced way?
Are there any important questions that are not asked?
7. It does but the paper seems to lean towards who are paying for it, I think the issues how does all society get there voice heard.
8. I think there should have waited the Government for at least for an interim report from the Leveson inquiry as the press have a lot to do with this maybe I wrong but I think the media have to play and do play a lot of the lobby in recent years. Maybe I am wrong but I believe why should political and leaders of our political parties are allowed or have been allowed to woo papers like the Sun and others in my book that’s lobbying.
Which lobbying contacts are of greatest legitimate public interest?
Does the consultation paper envisage the capture of appropriate information about these contacts, as opposed to other kinds of contact?
9. No for the reasons I gave in my previous answer.
How should the Government deal in policy and practice with how it might be lobbied on the issue of a statutory register of lobbyists?
How open should the Government be about such lobbying contacts?
10. With my answer in question 2 I believe the Government because it came out with the consultation before Leveson has reported missed the point of government whatever political colour I believe is not reflect in the document.
How should the Government analyse the consultation responses, and seek to balance the weight of opposing argument?
11. I don’t believe the Government has addressed all the issues in the paper in the first place.
Do you have any comments on how any proposals emerging from the consultation should be implemented?
12. No apart from and this a political point all Members of Parliament and House of Lords that have put entries in the Register of Members’ Interests should also be made then if the document is asking to pay towards the register a fee that is deducted from their expenses by IPSA.
Final Comments
13. I am writing this as personal view and yes these are from my perspective and I think the current Government has put it size 12 in without thinking though the issues current with some of the inquires and police investigations taking place.
February 2012