The register was proposed by the Cabinet Office in September as a way of improving transparency across the lobbying industry and make it more clear whose interests are being represented by consultant lobbyists.
One of the proposals was that lobbyists would have to pay a flat fee to join the register as the Government said it did not want it funded by the public purse. At the time this was received with frustration by various industry bodies.
The register requires anyone who lobbies on behalf of a third party to give the names of their clients and declare whether or not they subscribe to a relevant code of conduct.
It is still unclear how much the cost of registering will be.
Association of Professional Political Consultants chairman Iain Anderson said: "The registrar [Alison White] plans to issue full and formal rules in January – we will be working with her to get the best outcome for the sector.
"The big issue we still don’t know is the cost – a question we will be pressing the Cabinet Office on in the early New Year."
Registrar to issue new lobbying regulations in January
The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL) plans to issue formal rules in January that will determine whether lobbyists will have to join a register under the new Lobbying Act 2014.
