(APG0009)
Written evidence submitted by Best for Britain
Overview
Best for Britain is a non-partisan advocacy group. With the passage of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, we believe the UK must now focus on securing the trade deal promised in the Conservative Party manifesto, delivering for business and communities across the country. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, we are primarily worried about the impact of leaving the Single Market and Customs Union at a time of national economic recovery when the transition period ends on 31st December 2020.
Best for Britain has recently been appointed the secretariat for the APPG on Gaps in Support.
The value and benefits of APPGs to the House
- APPGs allow the sharing of expertise and knowledge that Parliamentarians may otherwise not have access to and help Members to investigate and discover issues and policy areas in an informal way. APPGs are also an important way for issues or policy areas to be investigated that may fall between the remits of select committees, or which are otherwise failing to be addressed by the formal scrutiny system.
- APPGs can be a unique and valuable way for Parliamentarians to connect with voters, businesses and other organisations and the wider public through specific issues and policy areas. Greater understanding can only help create better legislation and scrutiny.
Transparency and appropriateness of funding of APPG activities and secretarial support
- Transparency in political finance is vital for trust in democracy and our political institutions to be maintained. This principle extends to APPGs and the funding of their activities. It is right that the funding and expenditure of APPGs and their external secretariats is recorded, declared and published so Parliament and voters can see how money is being spent in the political process.
The role of external secretariats to APPGs
- APPGs provide Parliamentarians with a mechanism and space to share and investigate subjects and issues they care about with like-minded colleagues. APPGs can help shine light on issues of national importance and provide fora for individuals, organisations and businesses to raise awareness of matters that affect them.
- Allowing external secretariats to take part in APPGs means their expertise, knowledge and organising capabilities can be shared with Parliamentarians for the benefit of all. The use of external secretariats allow for effective administration of APPGs without recourse to public funds or the labour of Parliamentary staff and Parliamentarians themselves.
The risk of APPGs being used for access by lobbyists, other organisations or by foreign governments, and how any conflicts of interests arising can be managed
- Interests of external secretariats or donors to APPGs which are relevant to the subject of the APPG should be made explicit and be published in the register. APPG chairs should be responsible for assessing whether a conflict has or may occur and the Commissioner for standards should regulate and have powers to veto a particular external organisation from acting as a secretariat to a particular APPG if a conflict of interests was apparent.
Use of Parliamentary passes by staff exclusively supporting APPGs
- We have no view on this.
Financial governance and controls
Other governance and compliance issues, including assurance that APPGs are meeting relevant employment law and data protection laws
- It is right that APPGs and external secretariats should meet certain standards in their governance and employment practices.
Status of APPGs within the House, including the risk of confusion with select committees, and branding of APPG activities and publications
- APPGs are a vital way for Parliamentarians to connect with each other across party lines and with organisations with expertise from outside Parliament to broaden their knowledge and work together to raise the profile of important issues.
- APPGs can be an important way for Parliamentarians to examine issues that fall between the gaps of select committees. While it is the case that APPGs should not be confused with select committees and it should be made clear that they have no statutory authority, APPGs should be free to hold hearings, collect evidence and to publish reports and recommendations.
- In fact, the coronavirus lockdown has shown just how vital APPGs can be as face-to-face meetings have been replaced by virtual ones, bringing with it the option to stream meetings online for public consumption. Allowing APPGs to film meetings and publish them online along with other types of publication allows people to see their elected representatives working on their behalf and broadens the reach of the vital work of APPGs in highlighting issues of national importance.
Who should be accountable for ensuring an APPG complies with the rules
- APPG Chair should continue to be responsible with the Commissioner for Standards ensuring compliance with the rules.
How APPGs can be better supported to comply with the rules
- Clearer documentation and explanation of rules, particularly for external secretariats who do not have direct access to the facilities within Parliament or the institutional knowledge of how Parliament works.
- Rules should be streamlined and consolidated all in one place, not scattered over different documents hosted on different pages of Parliament’s website.
- A single key contact for APPG administration should be created. Where APPG finance and registration are managed by the registrar and Commissioner for Standards, day-to-day processes like setting up meetings are dealt with via the Whips Office. This makes effective and timely administration difficult for external secretariats who must use the APPG Chair’s Parliamentary staff as go-betweens for many processes.
- An online ‘submission portal’ should be created where secretariats can follow a step-by-step registration and financial reporting process to make sure their details can be kept up to date.
The proportionality and effectiveness of current requirements on holding of AGMs and formal meetings, and election of officers
- We have no view on this.
17 November 2020