The government’s controversial
Lobbying Bill has received a new setback as a business dominated red tape
advisory committee has told the government to withdraw and start again in its
assessment of the impact of part three of the Bill that regulates union
membership systems.
The Regulatory Policy Committee,
set up by government to advise on the impact of regulations and with a majority
of members having a business background, has given the Bill’s regulatory impact
assessment a rare red rating. This means they think that it is unfit for
purpose and the government should start again.
In their decision they say:
The impact assessment lacks a
sound evidence base and is insufficiently robust to justify RPC validation of
the estimated costs to civil society organisations (trade unions). The IA needs
to provide a more detailed assessment of all likely costs to trade unions,
including all familiarisation costs and recurring costs to small unions. The
assessment should be supported by further evidence that was gathered from
consultation with stakeholders, in particular quality assurers.
TUC General Secretary Frances
O’Grady said: “Part three of this dreadful and friendless bill imposes
needless red tape on trade union membership systems. But no-one has explained
why. The law already regulates union membership and the union regulator, the
Certification Officer, has plenty of power, but has received no complaints since
2004.
“This unnecessary Bill will make
union membership lists open to further state scrutiny despite recent evidence
of extensive blacklisting.
“This committee is effectively
saying that the impact statement has been written on the back of an envelope.
That will not come as a surprise to anyone interested in this party-political
partisan bill that has been attacked from all sides as it goes through
parliament.”
Further information:
- The Regulatory Policy Committee
decision is available at http://regulatorypolicycommittee.independent.gov.uk/rpc-publishes-2-red-rated-opinions
- A TUC briefing on the
Transparency of Lobbying, non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration
Bill is available at www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/LobbyingBillbriefing.pdf
