Investigation case summary – Finn Communications activity with APPG for British Bioethanol

Published on: Monday 28th October 2019

Organisation or person investigated

Finn Communications Ltd

Activities of Finn Communications in provision of secretariat to All
Party Parliamentary Group for British Bioethanol.

Finn Communications Ltd’s activity in support of the APPG for British Bioethanol did not amount to consultant lobbying activity.

Finn Communications Ltd’s activity in support of the APPG for British
Bioethanol did not amount to consultant lobbying activity.

17 July 2019	Notification received from a third party that Finn Communications Ltd (an organisation not on the statutory Register of Consultant Lobbyists) was listed as providing secretariat services to the APPG for British Bioethanol, on both the APPG’s website and the APPG’s registration papers with Parliament.
17 July 2019	Letter from Registrar to Finn Communications. Explained remit of Registrar, legislation and guidance on consultant lobbying, and indicative evidence received, and asked for a response.
24 July 2019	Reply received from Finn Communications, stating that they did not consider themselves as having provided secretariat services to the APPG on an ongoing basis. Support had been provided on a single occasion in the form of agreeing to take the minutes of an AGM of the APPG, with no communications made to Government by them on behalf of the APPG.
31 July 2019	Letter from Registrar to Nic Dakin MP, Chair of APPG for British Bioethanol, seeking confirmation of the extent of support provided by Finn Communications to the APPG.
18 September 2019	Substantive response from office of Nic Dakin MP, confirming Finn Communications’ description of the extent of their support to the APPG. Confirmation that formal record of support to the APPG would be amended appropriately.