Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The provision relates only to matters concerning the implementation of a policy or programme, enactment or award or matters of a technical nature, that being the operative phrase.

The provision is again seeking to find the appropriate balance in the Bill to ensure that significant communications affecting policy will be captured, published and accessible but low-level communications relating to implementation or technical matters which potentially would be voluminous would not be captured. This is a standard approach in all referenced lobbying legislation we have examined from overseas.

As the Deputy is aware, often the best way to hide information is to give out tonnes of it. We must ensure technical, low-level information is not used to mask the more serious stuff. That is the way the Bill is crafted and that is the way international best practice advises.

The feedback from stakeholders during the consultation process pointed to the administrative burden that would be placed on registrants arising from capturing such low level-detail. In the first instance, we should not sink the canoe before we even launch it.