All Party Parliamentary Groups

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Although they have no official parliamentary status, APPGs provide an excellent opportunity for private interests to network with politicians and seek to steer policy. Hence the Register of All-Party Groups is littered with the names of businesses as well as lobbyists, trade associations and charities. The rules allow individuals or organisations from outside parliament to give direct financial support. For instance, £thousands were donated to the Armed Forces APPG by arms companies including BAE Systems, Thales and Boeing. Alternatively, extra-parliamentary actors can carry out the administrative tasks needed to keep an APPG running by providing the secretariat, just as the HJS does. Other examples of the latter include the insurance company Aviva providing the secretariat for the APPG on Flood Prevention. In 2012, research by The Guardian found that, in the course of one year, "businesses, overseas govts and lobby groups have given sponsorship, free gifts and funding worth at least £1.8m to MPs and Lords through APPGs". ref


  • Jan.06.2017: Are APPGs a 'dark space' for covert lobbying? Critics say the 550-plus all-party parliamentary groups are used by business to reach lawmakers and influence policy. There are more than 550 APPGs, more than 100 of which relate to countries and others representing a wide range of fields such as health, education and transport.
    Their membership is usually made up of a balanced distribution of parliamentarians from the major political parties, although they have no formal powers. Members can undertake fact–finding visits within Britain and abroad as part of the groups’ work, often funded by 3rd parties including foreign govts, charities, banks and oil companies. An analysis by the Guardian shows that APPGs have received £millions in donations since the beginning of 2015. Some appear to be concerned, as with the Maldives APPG, with fostering relationships with other countries. The China APPG has raised at least £161,000 from firms and Chinese state-funded bodies and flown a succession of MPs to Beijing and beyond. Industry APPGs are also raising large amounts of cash. The parliamentarian who sits on the most APPGs is Mark Pritchard, Tory MP for the Wrekin, a member of 41 including the country groups for Armenia, Bosnia and Bulgaria. He has also declared an interest as an consultant on the strategic security group Soufan, for which he is paid £2,074 a month. Tamasin Cave, from the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency, said APPGs could still provide “a dark space” for covert lobbying. "Like other ‘third party’ lobbyists, APPGs should be required to make public their accounts, minutes of meetings, and details of their lobbying activity. Are they flying MPs around the world, providing private dinners with industry, or freebie tickets? It’s in the public interest to know," she said. Rajeev Syal, Caelainn Barr, The Guardian.


Against Antisemitism

Extraordinary Rendition

  • no wp page
  • Website: https://www.extraordinaryrendition.org/about/the-appg-on-extraordinary-rendition.html
  • Established by Andrew Tyrie in Dec.2005.
  • A cross party grouping of MPs and Peers from the British parliament who have come together to examine extraordinary rendition and related issues. 'Extraordinary rendition' describes the process by which a detainee is transferred from one state to another, outside normal legal processes (such as extradition or deportation). In many cases these detainees are transferred to secret detention or to a third country for the purposes of interrogation, often in circumstances where they face a real risk of torture.

Fair Business Banking

Fuel Poverty & Energy Efficiency

FPEEG is a coalition of cross party MPs and industry stakeholders committed to maintain awareness in Parliament of fuel poverty issues; to monitor and comment on progress against govt’s targets to eradicate fuel poverty; to advocate policies that deliver affordable warmth for vulnerable households with emphasis on improved domestic energy efficiency including effective thermal insulation alongside efficient and effective heating systems.ref

National Energy Action provides the secretariat for PFEEG.

Global Health

To provide a parliamentary platform to identify and debate global health issues and concerns, raise the profile of global health within Parliament and government, and to prepare reports and make recommendations as appropriate. Results UK (https://www.results.org.uk/) acts as the group's secretariat. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ref.

Linkback: see openDemocracy's article of Jan.17.2018

Health

The APPG is dedicated to disseminating knowledge, generating debate and facilitating engagement with health issues amongst Members of both Houses of Parliament. Policy Connect acts as the group's secretariat.

Linkback: see openDemocracy's article of Jan.17.2018

Human Trafficking

Kurdistan

Migration

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration was set up to support the emergence of mainstream, progressive policy debate on migration in Parliament. It aims to provide a discussion forum for parliamentarians and act as a source of well-evidenced and independent information on key migration issues. With a cross-party membership of MPs and Peers, the group’s mission is to provide a continued opportunity for evidence-based political debate about the challenges and opportunities relating to contemporary migration flows in the UK. ref
The secretariat of the APPG on Migration is the Migrants Rights Network, a registered charity.

Obesity

To take a new approach to tackling obesity through treatment and prevention. The Group will have a focus on developing and promoting an optimum patient pathway for obesity and generating a public policy environment in which it is recognised by politicians and the NHS that obesity needs to be a priority.
PB Consulting paid ~£26,000 via grants from Novo Nordisk and Medtronic Ltd to act as the group's secretariat (Jul.18.2017).

Offshore Oil and Gas

To provide a forum for discussion of issues relevant to the British offshore oil and gas industry and other related industries, and to raise matters with government and industry itself.

Jul.2015

Feb.2016

Jan - May 2017

Dec.2017

Oil Refining Sector

To provide a forum for discussion of issues relevant to the UK oil refining sector, discuss latest developments relevant to current policy priorities, UK and EU legislation and to raise matters with government and industry itself. Jan.2018:

Benefits: UK Petroleum Industry Association Ltd, Reception on Mar.27.2018, value £3,000

May.2017

Dec.2017

Packaging Manufacturing Industry

To create a better understanding of the UK packaging manufacturing industry and its products; to address issues facing the industry from regulation; and to promote the UK as a centre of excellence for packaging manufacture.

Pharmacy Group

To raise awareness of the profession of pharmacy, and to promote pharmacists' current and potential contribution to the health of the nation.

The APPG receives financial support from: the Company Chemists' Association, the National Pharmacy Association, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Luther Pendragon provides administrative assistance to the Group. ref

Population, Development and Reproductive Health

To ensure the full implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development's programme of Action with specific reference to stabilisation of the world's population through choice and ensuring sustainable development in the UK and abroad.

Various donations from Marie Stopes International, European Parliamentary Forum on Population & Developing, United Nations Population Fund, International Planned Parenthood Federation, European Parliamentary Forum on Population & Development.

Pro-Life

To provide a forum for discussion of pro-life issues including abortion, euthanasia and research upon the human embryo.

Proportional Representation

To build alliances for the adoption of a system of proportional representation at all levels of governance in the UK.

Vice-Chairs: Martyn Day, Vera Hobhouse, Jeremy Lefroy, Caroline Lucas, Lord Warner, Hywel Williams First seen in Register for Jun.2018

Science and Technology in Agriculture

To provide a forum for parliamentarians and stakeholders to debate and highlight the value of science and technology in agriculture. Front Foot Communications Ltd acts as the group's secretariat.
In reality: to criticise the EU, and to promote GMOs from within Parliament.

The Group’s activities are supported by a range of food, farming and research organisations including: Agricultural Industries Confederation, Agricultural Biotechnology Council, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, British Growers Association, British Society of Plant Breeders, Crop Protection Association, Maltsters Association of Great Britain, National Association of British & Irish Millers, National Farmers Union and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany. ref

Shale Gas

To explore and debate legislation, policy, regulation and data regarding shale gas exploration and extraction in the UK and abroad.

Existed as of Mar.2018; didn't exist as of Jan.2018

Shale Gas Regulation and Planning

To recommend an effective regulation and planning regime should shale gas extraction take place.

Jan - May 2017

  • Oct.05.2017: Fracking parliamentary groups hang up their hard hats. Pressure from § Unconventional Oil and Gas vice-chairman Kevin Hollinrake’s own constituents over the APPG's fracking PR firm links and ‘unacceptable’ industry funding forced him to resign from the group in Jan.2016. Hollinrake, whose Thirsk and Malton constituency includes Third Energy’s now approved Kirby Misperton fracking site, subsequently set up his own APPG on ‘Shale Gas Regulation and Planning’ in Feb.2016. Hollinrake's APPG website remains online but has not been updated since its last Dec.2016 meeting, possibly because his appointment after GE-2017 as parliamentary private secretary to environment secretary Michael Gove, given the strict rules for PPS staff regarding potential conflicts of interest. Melissa Jones, SpinWatch.

Unconventional Oil and Gas

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Unconventional Oil and GasPowerbase-graphic.svg

  • Oct.05.2017: Fracking parliamentary groups hang up their hard hats. The APPG was launched in 2013 as fracking firms were stepping up a multi-million-pound PR campaign to sell their controversial industry to ministers, parliamentarians and the wider public. Its secretariat was run by 2 giant lobbying and PR agencies; first Edelman until 2014, then Hill & Knowlton Strategies ever since. Originally set up to ‘debate and explore the potential for developing [shale gas] reserves’, the APPGUOG in reality offered its fracking donors and lobbyists easy access to Westminster’s politicians. The group raked in £hundreds of thousands from ‘membership’ fees paid by giant energy companies like Centrica, Shell and Total and major league frackers Cuadrilla and IGas, as well as firms with their eye on a potential fracking bonanza. Its expert ‘advisory panel’ was led by INEOS, the UK’s biggest shale gas explorer. Melissa Jones, SpinWatch.

The APPG has been given donations of £54,623 since GE-2015, but has since been embroiled in claims that it is a front for the shale gas industry. Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, where Third Energy plans to explore for shale gas, resigned as vice-chair of the APPG in Jan.2016 following criticisms from constituents that it was almost entirely funded by companies with interests in fracking, including Cuadrilla, IGas and the industry lobby group UKOOG.[1] See also Drill or Drop Jul.2015:

Feb.2016:

Jan-May.2017:

United Arab Emirates

  • Jul.24.2018: The UAE Lobby: Subverting British democracy?. A group of broadly pro-UAe MPs make up the UAE APPG, which serves to ‘promote good relations’ between the two countries. MPs enjoy expenses paid for trips to the UAe, with the group existing not to hold the UAe to account for its poor human rights records, but to lavish praise on the hosts with oft-rolled-out lines of defence and security cooperation between old allies. An APPG delegation of MPs visited the UAE in Feb.2018. Leo Docherty, Tory MP for Aldershot who is vice chair of the group, said that the group ‘has been really pleased to see the stability and prosperity of the UAe, a country which we regard as a critically important partner in pursuing peace and prosperity in the region.’60 naturally, there was no public mention of the UAe and saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, which has destabilised the region, sparked a humanitarian catastrophe, put 8.4m people on the brink of famine and been widely criticised for human rights abuses. SpinWatch.

Water

To provide a focus for members to monitor government and regulatory policy and maintain a dialogue with consumers and those with an interest or a duty in relation to the environment and the water industry.


References

  1. ^ Are APPGs a 'dark space' for covert lobbying? Rajeev Syal, Caelainn Barr, The Guardian, Jan.06.2017.