Public And Administrative Law: Review 2016

It was another significant year in public and regulatory law with more statutory and non-statutory inquiries, high-profile challenges to parliamentary privilege and the first full year of the Regulation of Lobbying Act. 

Regulation of lobbying: one year on

2016 was the first full year of operation of the Regulation of Lobbying Act. The register indicates that there are now just over 1600 registered lobbyists, and over 11,000 returns have been made. The Standards Commission has noted some areas where confusion over the legal requirements persists, including determining whether a communication counts as lobbying, ensuring that returns submitted contain sufficient detail, and the obligation for registrants to submit a return for every relevant period, including a "nil return" for periods during which they did not lobby.