"Is a register of lobbying activity in Scotland necessary?" asks Holyrood’s Standards Committee

Members of the public and interested organisations are being asked whether they think a Bill to create a register of lobbying activity in Scotland is necessary and desirable.

The call for views from the Scottish Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments (SPPA) Committee follows today’s publication of the Lobbying (Scotland) Bill.

The Bill, introduced by the Scottish Government, seeks to increase public transparency of the interactions between lobbyists and elected representatives and Government Ministers. Its overarching objective is “to introduce a measured and proportionate register of lobbying activity”.

The SPPA Committee wants to hear people’s views on whether the Bill is necessary and whether the establishment of a register is desirable.

SPPA Committee Convener, Stewart Stevenson MSP said:

“The Scottish Government has already had the benefit of recommendations from our Committee’s inquiry into Lobbying published earlier this year.

“Now that we have the Government’s Bill before us for scrutiny, we are asking members of the public and interested organisations to have their say on whether they think the Bill is actually necessary and a register of lobbying is desirable.”

Mr Stevenson added:

“According to the Bill, registration is only triggered when lobbying is being done in exchange for payment and does not capture lobbying carried out in the course of voluntary work - we want to hear if people agree with this approach.

“The Bill also seeks to strike a balance between capturing information of value and ensuring that access to and participation with the work of Parliament and Government is not discouraged - we want to hear if that balance is likely to be achieved in practice.”

The call for views can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/93126.aspx

Stevenson Comments on New Police Division

Commenting on the announcement of a new police division to serve North-east Scotland, SNP MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast Stewart Stevenson said:

“For me, and for most constituents I speak to, the bottom line is we want our police service to be efficient, effective, and visible.

“Feedback I get from the police suggests they now have access to more and better resources under Police Scotland. We know crime has fallen to its lowest level for 41 years. And in the North-east, we now have a greater level of scrutiny and engagement with community representatives from the police than we did under the previous arrangements.

“It is right that the police service constantly reviews what it can do better, and I’m clear that the priority should be officers on the front line, rather than lines on maps.”

Local MSP Welcomes Important Air Links Discussions

SNP SEEK TO END 'HERE TODAY - GONE TOMORROW' AIR LINKS
Banffshire & Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed important discussions involving the SNP’s Westminster Transport Spokesperson, SNP Ministers and senior managers of Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.

SNP Westminster Transport spokesperson Drew Hendry MP along with Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure Keith Brown, and Scottish Minister for Transport and Islands Derek Mackay, held the meetings to stress the importance to Scotland’s economy of continued access to London’s airports.

The issue of London airport slots serving Inverness and Aberdeen flights has been contentious in recent years for airports, local businesses and the wider public.

Commenting, former Transport Minister Mr Stevenson said:

“With MPs soon to consider the publication of the Airport Commission’s long-awaited report on expansion earlier this year the SNP are making it very clear that we want guarantees for the Scottish travelling public and business community that the - 'here today, gone tomorrow' situation over routes between our airports and London are guaranteed and improved .

“We have seen several issues over the years over landing slots at Heathrow and Gatwick being traded at the expense of businesses and the travelling public here in the North-east.

“Whichever hub is supported in the future we need assurances over key routes and slots for airports like Inverness and Aberdeen to help us grow our economy and to attract tourism to our region, as well as opening up better connections for those heading abroad from this corner.”