DO consult your line manager, if you are still unsure. DO consider putting a brief note on the file recording that you have addressed the issue of propriety and setting out your reasons for believing that your actions comply with the Civil Service Code, if you decide to go ahead. Lobbyists in other roles 14. Bear all his or her interests in mind in your discussions. You cannot expect lobbyists to keep their different roles in watertight compartments.
Lobbyists are a feature of our democratic system.
There is no ban on civil servants having dealings with them where this serves a proper purpose and is conducted in a proper manner. But the need for propriety is crucial. Lobbyists themselves are bound to want to talk up their own influence and contacts. It is the job of all civil servants to make sure that they conduct their dealings with lobbyists in a manner which is proper and not open to misinterpretation. Footnotes 1 First Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, page 35.