While Christmas is traditionally the season for sharing gifts, public relations professionals are being asked to remain aware of the Bribery Act. Research conducted by Lewis Silkin, the Public Relations Consultants Association’s legal partner, shows that 10% are not at all clear about the implications of the Bribery Act on Christmas gifts, and 39% describe themselves as not entirely clear.

The survey of public relations agency leaders and communications directors found that most do not have a maximum spend per gift, but those that do are likely to spend up to £100 on either a journalist or a client.

These figures bring up some legal concerns for the industry, exacerbated by the statistic that only 61% of organisations have a code of ethics or anti-bribery statement. The study shows that employees would benefit from better guidance in this particular area.

Lewis Silkin provides this guidance on the Bribery Act: “The senior level management of an organisation should be committed to a culture of integrity where bribery is unacceptable. A formal internal and external statement appropriately communicated by senior management can be effective in establishing an anti-bribery culture, and the statement should be drawn to people’s attention on a periodic basis and be generally available on an organisation’s intranet and internet site.”

The PRCA and Lewis Silkin provide a legal helpline for PRCA members who have concerns surrounding the Act.