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Members Meeting: 10 Sept 2007

Present:

APCO (Martin Sawer)
AS Biss (Gavin Devine)
B2L Public Affairs (Darren Caplan)
College Public Policy (Warwick Smith)
Connect Public Affairs (Gill Morris - Chair)
Edelman (Michael Burrell)
Euro RSCG Apex (Branmira Radoslavova)
FD-LLM (David Abrahams)
Foresight (Mark Adams)
Grayling (Tanya Joseph)
Hill & Knowlton (Rod Cartwright)
Lexington (Gidon Freeman)
Open Road (Martin LeJeune)
Precise Public Affairs (Robbie MacDuff)
Waterfront (Tim Carr)
Weber Shandwick (Julian Seymour)
Whitehouse Consultancy (Chris Whitehouse)
APPC (Mary Shearer - Secretary)

Apologies:

Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Consolidated
EUK Consulting
Fleishman Hillard
Greenhaus
Helen Johnson Consulting
Morgan Allen Moore
Munro & Forster
New Consensus
Policy Partnership
Politics Direct
Politics International
PPS

1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting

Members approved the minutes of the meeting held on 14 May 2007. Matters arising and not otherwise on the agenda were as follows:

1.1 Planning Issues

John Mills would be making a full report to the meeting in December.

1.2 Code Training Seminar

A seminar would be held in Cardiff on 24 September, led by Rosemary Grogan. Any member interested in attending was invited to contact the secretary.

2. Membership

The Chair reported that two members had resigned, Citigate Public Affairs due to its merger with Grayling and Outlook Consulting due to retirement. She was pleased to report that the management committee had accepted applications from Citigate Dewe Rogerson, Euro RSCG Apex, Munro & Forster, New Consensus Communications and Politics Direct, bringing the number of members to 50.

An application had also been received from Golden Arrow and accepted subject to interview. It was agreed that making an application for membership reflected good faith and compliance with the Code. An interview should be held only when members of the management committee, after review, had a query on the application itself. It was further agreed that all members should be informed about applications received.

3. PASC Inquiry

The Chair referred to the final draft of the APPC evidence, circulated before the meeting, which had been developed at a meeting of the management committee the previous week. She invited comments from members by no later than Friday 14 September in order to meet the PASC closing date of 21 September. Members made some initial comments, in particular that the submission was longer than invited by the PASC, and also suggesting the addition of positive quotations from the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
Action: Gavin Devine to re-draft for final approval by the Management Committee

Rod Cartwright said that PRCA would not seek to replicate the APPC evidence, but would send a letter supporting it and setting out PRCA’s views on the Guiding Principles and lobbying in the context of broader public affairs. He hoped that CIPR GAG would do something similar, and there would also be a joint submission.

The Chair asked that all members should send a letter to the PASC Inquiry, supporting the APPC evidence; it was agreed that, if they wished, members could add comments on issues not addressed in the APPC submission.

The Chair said that the management committee would be developing APPC’s strategy around the Inquiry to include:

• Media coverage
• Presentation of evidence (including rehearsal and training as for clients)
• Joint work with CIPR GAG and PRCA

As regards media, the Inquiry was likely to be raised at the closing date for evidence and/or during Party conferences, so that the APPC position would need to be agreed soon. Rod Cartwright proposed that APPC should focus on the Guiding Principles, following a very positive meeting with the Charity Commission.

It was agreed to prepare a joint APPC/PRCA/CIPR GAG response to the recent article by Peter Bingle in PR Week in order to put the facts on record.

Members noted the recent FOI enquiries being made by The Guardian about public sector clients; whilst the purpose was not clear, the outcome was unlikely to be positive.

The Chair commended a very constructive discussion on this most important issue.

4. Guiding Principles

The Chair reported that she and Rod Cartwright had had a very constructive meeting earlier in the day with the Charity Commission, who had recommended that APPC should also talk to NCVO.

5. APPC in Scotland

In the absence of Jo Nove, there was no report.

6. Management Committee Review

It was agreed to defer discussion until the next meeting.

7. Any Other Business

7.1 OFT

The Chair referred to the article in “The Lawyer” magazine, circulated to all members by Chris Whitehouse, reporting that DLA Piper had filed a complaint with the OFT against APPC for anti-competitive practices.

The management committee agreed to write a letter to the editor to correct the record; Mark Adams undertook to draft this and outlined the proposed content, which members agreed.
Action: Mark Adams

Chris Whitehouse pointed out that the cause of the complaint was the Chair’s letter to all MPs encouraging support for John Grogan’s EDM on transparency in lobbying. The Chair explained that APPC’s position was to encourage adherence to key principles embodied in the APPC Code of Conduct, and the only code applicable to public affairs consultancies at the time of writing of the letter was that of the APPC.  Now the guiding principles had been agreed the situation had changed.

It was agreed to monitor the situation and respond to OFT accordingly should that be necessary.

Date of Next Meeting

3 December 2007 at 5.30pm at Connect, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP

Speaker

José Lalloum, Chairman of EPACA, addressed the meeting and talked about the European Transparency Initiative and EPACA´s stance on regulation. This was a very timely opportunity for the APPC to hear from Jose given the context of the forthcoming PASC Inquiry.


 
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