Groups set up by parliamentarians should be banned from taking foreign government funding for some functions, the House of Commons’ standards committee recommended on Wednesday, following a series of scandals.
The report on all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) said those that received substantial payments from outside entities were the most problematic. It recommended new safeguards for APPGs that received more than £1,500 a year in cash, or in kind, from an outside interest.
Sir Chris Bryant, Labour MP and the committee chair, said it was setting out “robust new measures” to strengthen the checks on APPGs, particularly those receiving external financial benefits.
The recommendations follow a report by the committee last year, which found a “significant risk of improper access and influence by commercial entities or by hostile foreign actors” through APPGs.
MPs and peers set up APPGs on an ad hoc basis to investigate and campaign on issues of interest. More than 700 such groups are currently formed.
The activities of APPGs have been in the spotlight in recent months. The China group, set up to promote closer ties between the two nations, has drawn questions over its large corporate donations, while hospitality provided to members of the APPG on Qatar has been scrutinised by transparency campaigners. There is no suggestion that MPs in either group broke parliamentary rules by going on the trips.
Last year, Politico reported sexual impropriety by some MPs who are APPG members while on overseas trips, including alleged liaisons with prostitutes provided by their hosts.
The committee based its report on a consultation with MPs and the speakers of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
“Parliament always has been, and always will be, a target for hostile foreign states and improper commercial interests,” Bryant said. “But with better regulation and transparency around these informal all-party parliamentary groups, we can harness their positive contribution to our democracy while mitigating any risks.”
Some of the hundreds of APPGs rely on secretariats, provided by or funded by outside organisations, in some cases. The report recommended groups’ secretariats should no longer be allowed to accept money from foreign governments, or to rely on offices with personnel provided by other states.
The committee also recommended that when an outside organisation had commissioned work by a committee, the source of the funding should be clearly identified.
The committee invited the government to submit motions proposing the rule changes to parliament for consideration. The House of Commons and Cabinet Office were contacted for comment.
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