Minister McGrath Published the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr. Michael McGrath T.D., has today (Thursday the 22nd of September), published the The Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022.

This Bill will pave the way for the strengthening of Ireland’s lobbying laws. The act of lobbying is a fundamental part of any democracy, but it must be done in a manner that is transparent and open. Citizens must be able to see clearly who is engaging with the Government and the State. This new law will ensure that the framework on the regulation of lobbying remains up to date and fit for purpose.

In particular, the purpose of this Bill is to:

improve the operation and functionality of the Lobbying Register;
strengthen the existing legislation and its enforcement; and
make failure to comply with the post-term employment ‘cooling-off’ restrictions set out in section 22 of the Act a relevant contravention under the Act.

The Bill will enable SIPO to impose a fine of up to €25,000 and/or a ban on lobbying of up to 2 years for breaches of the cooling off period.

Announcing the publication of this legislation, Minister McGrath said:

“The publishing today of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022 marks a significant step forward in the regulation of lobbying in Ireland.

"Lobbying is a vital component in maintaining a healthy and well-functioning democracy. However, transparency is critically important in order to allow citizens to follow the activities and potential influence of interest groups, representative bodies and industry and civil society organisations on policy and funding discussions and decisions.

"This legislation will further strengthen Ireland’s lobbying laws, incorporating the learnings of the last six years.”

The Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022 is expected to be introduced in the Oireachtas in the autumn.

Background note:

The Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 (The Act) was commenced on 1 September 2015. From that date, there has been a requirement for those who lobby designated public officials (DPOs) to register and report on their lobbying activities every four months on the Register of Lobbying (the Register). The part of the Act which provides for investigation and enforcement provisions was commenced on 1 January 2017.

The Act and related statutory instruments can be viewed here

The Register, which is a web-based system, can be viewed at www.lobbying.ie and is overseen by the Standards in Public Office Commission (the Commission). There are currently more than 2,400 organisations and individuals who have registered on the Register, and over 70,000 returns have been submitted and are available for viewi

There is no fee to register as a lobbyist and members of the public can view and search the Register free of charge.

The website, as well as including the online Register, also has a suite of information tools designed to help lobbyists, DPOs and the public to fully understand the Act and its obligations.

The purpose of the Act is to provide appropriate transparency on "who is lobbying whom about what". In this context, the Act is designed to provide information to the public about:

who is lobbying;
on whose behalf lobbying is being carried out;
the issues involved in the lobbying;
the intended result of the lobbying; and
who is being lobbied.

The Act aims to do this by providing for:

the establishment and maintenance of a publicly accessible Register of Lobbying;
the Commission to be the regulator of lobbying;
obligations on lobbyists to register and to provide information regularly about their lobbying activities, including, in the case of professional lobbyists, information about their clients;
a code of conduct on the carrying-on of lobbying activities; and
the introduction of a ‘cooling-off’ period during which lobbying activity may not be carried out by some former public officials.

Figures correct at 22 September 2022

ENDS