Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on implementing the Statutory Register of Lobbyists, including the numbers now registered, the budget, and the number of meetings recorded.

The statutory register of consultant lobbyists was opened by the independent Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists at the end of March and the outstanding provisions of the Transparency of Lobbying Act were commenced on 1 April 2015.

There are currently 84 registered businesses. Consultant Lobbyists will be prohibited from lobbying unless they have registered so we expect more to join during the course of the year. The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists is engaged with the industry to ensure that those who are required to join the register are aware of their obligation to do so.

The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists 2015/2016 business plan has been published on gov.uk. I have attached a copy for ease.

Details about ministerial meetings are published separately on gov.uk.