The majority of government departments have now published information on meetings between ministers and lobbyists on their websites, research by Civil Service World and its stablemate Public Affairs News has revealed – but the Department of Health appears to be reluctant to release any details at all of its plans to publish information.

Only five of 16 departments contacted by CSW this week said they had yet to fulfil Cabinet Office minister Angela Smith’s promise in January that details of ministerial meetings with special interest groups would be published on department websites (see table, below).

Of these, four – the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Defence, and the Departments for International Development and for Culture, Media and Sport – said they would publish the information shortly.

But the Department of Health said CSW would have to complete a Freedom of Information request – not to access the data about meetings, but to find out whether the department had published the information, or indeed whether it plans to do so.

Smith said departments should provide quarterly information on all ministerial meetings with lobbyists, naming the minister and organisation involved, the date of the meeting and the subject discussed.

In a recent technology manifesto, the Conservatives said they would go further by requiring senior civil servants to publish online all details of their meetings with lobbyists.

Lobby groups: departmental data

DfID        Intends to make data available in next few weeks
CLG        Has been publishing data since 2007
DCMS        Publishing shortly
DCSF        Has published details
BIS        Has published details
DECC        Has published details
DfT        Has published details
HO        Has published details
DoH        Asked CSW to submit FOI
DWP        Has published details
FCO        Has published details
HMT        Has published details
MoJ        Has published details
Defra        Has published details
MoD        Publishing shortly
CO        Publishing shortly