Association for Scottish Public Affairs

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The Association for Scottish Public Affairs (ASPA) was founded in 1998 to represent the interests of lobbyists with the creation of the Scottish Parliament. Membership of ASPA is predominantly drawn from the commercial sector, with many PR consultancies and legal practices with public affairs / lobbying division playing a leading role in the organisation.

Background

Alan Boyd, the first convenor of ASPA, was clear that the organisation should act to resist democratic scrutiny and regulation of lobbying. He stated:

We can allow the parliament to regulate our own affairs [or] we get our act together and write a code which will allow us to regulate on our own ... There is a golden opportunity for us to influence the CSG. We should go for it in a big way and operate as a professional body.[1]

Following the Dispatches/Sunday Times exposé of 'Politicians for Hire' in March 2010, the current ASPA convenor Alastair Ross was asked to comment on proposals for a statutory register. Of Labour's reaction, he remarked that "It is knee-jerk and misses the point – a statutory register wouldn’t stop MPs such as Byers", adding:

Any parliament or government system needs its policymakers to develop legislation based on the best information and evidence that can be provided for them – on that basis alone the PA industry is an essential part of the democratic process.[2]

People

ASPA Committee 2009-10[4]

Members[5]

Breakdown of ASPA members by sector


Advocates for Animals | Age Concern and Help the Aged Scotland | Association for the Conservation of Energy | BAA Scotland | BAE Systems Surface Ships | Babcock Marine | Baccus Consulting | BIA | Breakthrough Breast Cancer | Buccleuch Group | Signature | Cancer Research UK | Caledonia Consulting | CBI Scotland | Chartered Society of Physiotherapy | Children 1st | Citizens Advice Scotland | CM Porter Novelli | Double Scotch | DLA Piper | Electoral Reform Society | Epilepsy Scotland | Federation of Small Businesses Scotland | Fleishman Hillard | Friends of the Earth | Grayling Political Strategy | GSK | Institution of Civil Engineers in Scotland | John Taylor | Lloyds Banking Group | Mandate | Media House | Metropublic | McGrigors Public Policy | Morhamburn | National Deaf Children's Society | NESTA | Office of Fair Trading | The Open University in Scotland | Pagoda Public Relations | Pfizer | Platform PR | Playfair Walker | Royal College of Nursing | Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists | Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh | Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland | Royal National Institute for the Deaf | Scottish Council of Jewish Communities | Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations | Scottish Federation of Housing Associations | Scottish Financial Enterprise | Scottish Renewables Forum | Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition | Selex | Signature CACDP | Shelter Scotland | Stuart Crawford Associates | 3X1 | Unison | University of Aberdeen | Virgin Trains | Wave PR

Contact, Resources, Notes

Contact

Address: Alastair Ross, ASPA Convenor
McGrigors Public Policy
Princes Exchange
1 Earl Grey Street
Edinburgh
EH3 9AQ
Tel: 0131 777 7144
Website: http://www.scottishpublicaffairs.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ASPANEWS

Resources

Notes

  1. ↑ ASPA minutes, April 1998
  2. ↑ PAN Staff, "[pointer=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1135&tx_ttnews[backPid]=2&cHash=6d7db0b470 Dispatches/Sunday Times exposé – industry reaction]", Public Affairs News, accessed 06.09.10
  3. ↑ 'Soundbites', The Sunday Herald June 6, 1999 SECTION: Pg. 4
  4. ↑ ASPA, "Committee", accessed 06.09.10
  5. ↑ ASPA, "ASPA Members", accessed 06.09.10

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