Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the guests for coming before the committee this afternoon. I agree with Professor Murphy that more openness is better. Obviously, we have to be careful not to transform the nature and localism of Irish politics. I will ask Professor Murphy one question in that regard. The commission has indicated that one of the things it would like to see captured in legislation is lobbying by unpaid officeholders, directors of businesses and advocacy groups. In his opening statement, Professor Murphy spoke about the unusual localism of Irish politics. Would he be concerned about changing the manner in which politics operates if unpaid advocacy groups were required to register engagements with elected officials for the purposes of achieving their objectives?