Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Thank you. The Chairman has dealt with some of the important issues, but I wish to raise a few further points. The first point relates to law firms, and perhaps accountancy firms, and the possibility of invoking professional privilege. Is that an issue that arises? The second point refers to what might be called intra-government lobbying, such as lobbying by a local authority of central government. I am aware there is a huge industry in the United States of such lobbying. Has that come up in countries of a similar size to Ireland? We are not a federal country, but local authorities may want certain things for their areas as opposed to other areas.