Administrative and operational requirements

Record of being lobbied
8
1
In the event of a Minister or special adviser being lobbied, the Minister or (as the case may be) special adviser must as soon as reasonably practicable provide their department with a written record of the lobbying; and the department must retain the record in accordance with its policy on the retention and disposal of records.
2
In this section “being lobbied” means to receive personally a communication, either oral or written, on behalf of the person making the communication or another person or persons, relating to—
a
the development, adoption or modification of any proposal of the department to seek, make or amend primary or subordinate legislation;
b
the development, adoption or modification of any other policy of the department; or
c
the making, giving or issuing by the department of, or the taking of any other steps by the department in relation to,—
i
any contract or other agreement,
ii
any grant or other financial assistance, or
iii
any licence or other authorisation.
3
For the purposes of subsection (2), it does not matter whether the communication occurs in or outwith the United Kingdom.
4
Nothing in this section shall apply to a communication—
a
made in proceedings of the Northern Ireland Assembly or the Executive Committee of the Assembly or any sub-committee of that Committee or any other committee or sub-committee of the Assembly,
b
arising in the course of liaison with the Minister’s political party or members of the Assembly,
c
made at a meeting attended by a person serving in the Northern Ireland Civil Service who is not a special adviser,
d
received personally by a Minister or special adviser after having been first received and recorded by a person serving in the Northern Ireland Civil Service who is not a special adviser, or
e
made to a Minister by a member of the public in their capacity as a member of the public, or in their capacity as a community representative, and relating to a matter in which the person making the communication has only the same interest as all other members of the public or all other members of a section of the public.