When
-
Location
The Robert Burns Room, Scottish Parliament
Price
Free
Register

Whilst lobbying is an integral part of the democratic process, it is imperative that policy is developed transparently, that there is a level playing field for interested parties, and that decision makers hear from a range of diverse voices.

Lobbying transparency is therefore vital to understand who is seeking to influence decision making, and where there are concerns about access to policy makers.

Scotland’s lobbying register sets a standard for the UK. This event, sponsored by Martin Whitfield MSP, will share analysis about what lobbying data reveals and consider what improvements might give us even better insights into the who, what and how of lobbying.

We will also share Transparency International UK’s Open Access tool which uses AI to enable easier interrogation and comparison of lobbying data at Holyrood and Westminster by topic.

There will be an opportunity for questions and discussion.

Speakers

  • Martin Whitfield

    Martin Whitfield MSP

    Martin Whitfield was elected to the Scottish Parliament from the South Scotland Region on 6 May 2021. He previously served as East Lothian’s UK Member of Parliament from June 2017 to December 2019.

    Born and raised in Gosforth, Newcastle, Martin lives in Prestonpans with his wife Rachel and their two sons. Before his election to the UK Parliament, Martin was a teacher at Prestonpans Primary School. He was also the Chair of Prestonpans Community Council and a member of the General Teaching Council for Scotland board. He had also been an activist in the EIS teachers’ union.

    Prior to entering the teaching profession, Martin had worked as a lawyer.

    Martin has served as the Convener of the Standards and Procedures and Public Appointments Committee since 2021.

  • Daniel Bruce

    Daniel Bruce

    Chief Executive

    Daniel joined Transparency International UK as Chief Executive in 2019. Under his leadership, TI-UK has helped to secure significant legislative reform to close down loopholes allowing dirty money, the proceeds of corruption, into the UK economy. He has overseen our forensic investigations of corruption in Covid-19 procurement, formally feeding into the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry. Daniel has served as an expert witness to the Committee on Standards in Public Life, along with committees in both Houses of Parliament, as part of our work to increase integrity in politics. He is a regular media commentator on standards in government, political financing and global corruption.

    Before joining TI-UK, Daniel served for nearly 6 years as the Chief Executive of the global media support organisation, Internews and has worked on transparency, governance and media initiatives across three continents for Article 19, Albany Associates, Fondation Hirondelle, UNESCO, the University of Pennsylvania and others. He spent his early career as a journalist, editor and broadcaster.

  • Juliet Swann

    Juliet Swann

    Nations and Regions Programme Manager

    Juliet (she/her) is based in Edinburgh and leads our work in Scotland. She also monitors Wales and Northern Ireland to identify opportunities for TI-UK in those countries. She is Chair of the Open Government Partnership Scotland Civil Society Steering Group, working collaboratively with government on transparency of and public participation in decision making.

  • Rose Whiffen

    Rose Whiffen

    Senior Research Officer

    Rose is a Senior Research Officer specialising in political corruption. Her work covers issues of money in politics, lobbying, the revolving door and open governance. She was the lead researcher and writer for several of Transparency International UK's publications including papers on the House of Lords, the revolving door and lobbying. As well as contributing to the 'House of Cards' report which explored access and influence in UK housing policy and 'Cheques and Balances' which explored money in politics. She's previously held roles at Democracy Club and Spotlight on Corruption, and completed an MA in Corruption and Governance from the University of Sussex.

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