PLANS to exclude emails, letters and phone calls from the scope of new laws around lobbying have been branded "ludicrous" by transparency campaigners.
Under proposals which are currently making their way through Holyrood, only face-to-face contact with MSPs and ministers would have to be declared on a new register with all other forms of communication remaining under the radar.
The Scottish Government legislation, which was published last month, has been branded "almost pointless" after SNP ministers also watered down their initial proposals to stipulate that only organisations rather than individual lobbyists would have to join the register.
There is no provision to force companies to reveal how much cash they spend on campaigns intended to influence politicians, a measure that had been called for, or declare contact with special advisors or civil servants.
MSPs on Holyrood's standard's committee heard evidence on the proposed legislation, which the Scottish Government has insisted would create a "measured and proportionate" system.
Dr William Dinan, director of transparency campaign group Spinwatch, said the exclusion of electronic communications and emails from the Bill was "frankly ludicrous." Professor Raj Chari, from the department of political science at Trinity College, Dublin, said the omission was "quite striking".
He said: "I've never seen this sort of wording before. It pains me to say that even the UK recognises that lobbying takes place by way of written communication."
Labour MSP Neil Findlay, who originally put forward lobbying laws before his proposals were taken over by the Scottish Government in the wake of a scandal at Westminster, described the Bill as "a travesty".
He added: "The Bill appears to be living in the 18th or 19th century and hasn't realised that the telephone and the computer have been invented, that we do things like conference calls and the like.
"There is a whole new range of modern communications other than people turning up in top hat and tails to speak to one another face to face over tea and crumpets.
"I think we have significantly moved on since that was the way in which people lobbied politicians and I think the Bill has to recognise that."
Stewart Stevenson, the committee convenor, hinted strongly that MSPs would amend the legislation to encompass more than face-to-face communications. However, the Scottish Government would retain the right to use its parliamentary majority to strike out the measure at a later stage.
Concern over the influence of paid lobbyists has increased after a string of high-ranking former SNP staffers quit for PR job in the private sector.
They include Kevin Pringle, a former SNP communications chief who recently joined Charlotte Street Partners. It emerged campaigners lobbying for the SNP to take a stance against liberalising Sunday opening hours south of the Border only succeeded after hiring the firm, which was co-founded by former SNP MSP Andrew Wilson.
Luke Skipper, the party's former chief of staff at Westminster has joined Weber Shandwick while Jennifer Dempsie, Alex Salmond's former special advisor, recently became embroiled in a major cronyism scandal.
Ms Dempsie set up an initial meeting between the T in the Park promoter and culture secretary Fiona Hyslop where funding was discussed. Hyslop later signed off on an ad hoc state aid package worth £150,000 for the festival>>
Her involvement would not have been declared under the new rules as she contacted Ms Hyslop's office by email.
Other groups to call for the legislation to go further include the think tank Common Weal, campaign group Unlock Democracy and the Electoral Reform Society.
Peter Duncan, chairman of the Association of Professional Political Consultants in Scotland, told MSPs the legislation "does strike a balance".
He said: "We started from a position of not seeing the overwhelming public case we have to say for legislation in this area, there is not an overwhelming public problem, but we accept a case has made and if there is going to be legislation this is a decent and balanced starting point."
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