Appeal against a civil penalty notice issued by the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists
How to appeal against a penalty imposed for an offence under section 12 of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 by the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists.
What you can appeal against
You may appeal to the tribunal against:
- the decision to issue an information notice
- the decision to impose the penalty
- if the penalty notice has been varied, the decision to vary it
- the amount of the penalty
The tribunal
Your case will be dealt with by the General Regulatory Chamber.
The tribunal is independent of the government, and will listen to both sides of the argument before reaching a decision.
If you or your representative is outside the UK and wants to give live video or audio evidence, contact the tribunal to request it. Tell the tribunal what country you or the representative is in and what type of evidence is being given. You must do this as soon as possible.
How to appeal
You have 28 days to appeal after the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists sends or gives you the notice.
If you miss the time limit, you can ask for more time to appeal. Explain why you’re late, and the tribunal will decide if it can still accept your case.
Complete the relevant General Regulatory Chamber (First-tier Tribunal) form.
Say clearly why you want to appeal against the decision.
Include the civil penalty notice and any other supporting documents.
Send the form to grc@justice.gov.uk or:
General Regulatory Chamber
HM Courts & Tribunals Service
PO Box 9300
Leicester
LE1 8DJ
Telephone: 0300 123 4504
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
Tribunal staff can explain how the process works, but they cannot give you legal advice.
What happens next
The tribunal will write to you explaining the next steps.
Find out more about General Regulatory Chamber hearings and decisions.
Legislation and rules
You can find the right to appeal in the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014; information notices (section 11) and civil penalities (Section 17).
You can read the rules on how your case will be handled in the General Regulatory Chamber procedure rules.
Updates to this page
Last updated 31 January 2024 + show all updates
-
Updated the how to appeal section with a link to the General Regulatory Chamber (First-tier Tribunal) forms collection.
-
Changed the telephone number of the GRC
-
additional appeal ground and change to legislation
-
First published.