Ian Coldwell (Letters, 27 August) does scant justice to the Standards Committee to regulate lobbyists. These do not interfere in any way with the "provision of information or advice about the workings" of parliament. Just the opposite is true. These proposals would require disclosure of activities involving "information or advice" about parliament, only where payment is involved. Lobbyists work to advise clients on how best to approach MSPs and civil servants. The proposal to regulate them does not interfere with such communication. The over-reaction by the PR industry against lobbying registration underlines the need to seek transparency in Scottish political life.

What is proposed is that paid lobbyists disclose their clients, the topics they lobby on, and their fees and expenses. In fact, the PR and lobbying industries regularly give such data to the trade press to promote their own business. Moreover, many of the multinational lobbying companies now operating in Scotland have in-house experience of disclosing their activities for regulatory systems in the United States, Canada and elsewhere.