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Each of the CIPR Manifesto's key areas of focus has been updated with detail on the relevant commitments made by UK political parties in their own manifesto's published in April 2015, in the build-up to the General Election on 7 May 2015.

Lobbying

We call for Government to actively support the development of high professional standards and accountability in lobbying, and work with the profession to build stronger institutions that can regulate the ethical conduct of lobbyists, supporting and maintaining the voluntary codes of conduct.

Manifesto update:

  • The Green Party commit to repeal the Lobbying Act 2014, and take steps ensure all lobbying is fully registered and disclosed.
  • The Labour Party will repeal the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act.
  • The Liberal Democrats will strengthen and expand the lobbying register and prohibit MPs from accepting paid lobbying work.
  • Plaid Cymru will remove part two of the Lobbying Act and will "ensure that the lobbying system is genuinely transparent with appropriate access to all".

The future of corporate governance

We call for Government to assist in the creation of a new corporate culture in the UK based on wider value creation and with a firm understanding of the importance of relationships in business decision making.

Manifesto update:

  • The Conservative Party will give those who work for a big company and the public sector a new workplace entitlement to volunteering leave for three days a year, on full pay.
  • Under The Green Party workers will be given a greater say in the running of their companies including employee-directors in medium and large companies.
  • The Labour Party will reform corporate governance to protect leading firms from the pressure to put "tomorrow's share price before long-term growth potential". This will include a strengthening of the public interest test.
  • The Liberal Democrats will encourage employers to promote employee participation and employee ownership, aiming to increase further the proportion of GDP in employee-owned businesses. Alongside this they will change company law to permit a German-style two-tier board structure to include employees.
  • Plaid Cymru will ensure the supervisory boards of major companies who employ more than 500 staff will include elected employees, to "ensure scrutiny of the management in the interests of the company as a whole."
  • The SNP will support increased employee representation on company boards, believing that this can help bolster long-term decision-making and improve industrial relations. They will urge the UK government to consult on how best to deliver such an increase.

Independent practitioners and future skills needs

We call for Government to allow tax deductibility for any kind of training undertaken by the self-employed and allow tax deductibility for any kind of training for small businesses.

The gender pay gap

We call for Government to tackle to gender pay and inequality directly by strengthening the Equal Pay act, ensuring it is applied universally.

Manifesto update:

  • The Conservative Party will require companies with more than 250 employees to publish the difference between the average pay of their male and female employees. The party will also increase the proportion of public appointments going to women in the next Parliament.
  • The Green Party has committed to introduce anonymised CVs in recruitment and will make equal pay for men and women a reality. They will also require 40 per cent of all members of public company and public sector boards to be women.
  • The Labour Party will require large companies to publish their gender pay gap and will strengthen the law against maternity discrimination.
  • The Liberal Democrats have encouraged employers to provide more flexible working, expanding Shared Parental Leave with an additional 'use it or lose it' month to encourage fathers to take time off with young children. While pledging slow changes to parental leave to give business time to adjust, the party's ambition is to see Paternity and Shared Parental Leave become a 'day one' right. The party will also look to ensure swift implementation of the new rules requiring companies with more than 250 employees to publish details of the different pay levels of men and women in their organisation. On top of this, the party will consult on requirements for companies to conduct and publish a full equality pay review, and to consult staff on executive pay. Finally, the party will continue the drive for diversity in business leadership, maintaining momentum towards at least 30% of board members being women and encouraging gender diversity among senior managers too.
  • Plaid Cymru will ensure that men and women are paid the same for comparable work and aim to raise the status of work often carried out by women. They will also ensure that all substantially government funded bodies or agencies include at least 40% membership of both men and women on their management board.
  • The SNP has demanded early action on equal pay audits for big companies to increase the pressure to deliver equal pay for women across the UK. They will also seek to devolve powers over the gender pay gap to Scotland in order to introduce legalisation.

Data protection

We call for Government to think beyond the scope of current EU Data Protection Law and lead a national conversation about how we can develop a coherent and satisfactory framework for responding to emerging technology and address the rapid changes in the market for data.

Manifesto update:

  • The Liberal Democrats will introduce the changes to the 1998 Data Protection Act recommended by Lord Justice Leveson.

Internet governance and broadband

We call for Government to build support for a multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance, and pledge greater investment in the UK's critical digital infrastructure.

Manifesto update:

  • The Conservative Party will continue to 'topslice' the licence fee for digital infrastructure to support superfast broadband across the country, this will ensure the delivery of superfast broadband to 95 per cent of the UK by 2017, providing a subsidy to the cost of installing superfast services in the hardest to reach areas, whilst releasing more spectrum for public sector use and allow greater private sector access.
  • The Green Party will ensure that all have digital access, and give BT and other public telecom operators an obligation to provide affordable high-speed broadband to every home and small business.
  • The Labour Party will ensure that all parts of the country benefit from affordable, high speed broadband by the end of the Parliament.
  • The Liberal Democrats will look to safeguard the freedom of the internet and back net neutrality. They will also complete the rollout of high-speed broadband, to reach almost every household (99.9 per cent) in the UK, as well as small businesses in both rural and urban areas.
  • The SNP will seek additional investment to support a more rapid roll out of superfast broadband and 4G across Scotland andto support wider and affordable access to the internet in the most disadvantaged communities.

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