Professor Gary Murphy:

When I was talking about this with public officials and Ministers a decade or so ago, I was very keen to suggest that we inculcate ourselves into the international position. Internationally, there is an idea that the public needs to know who is lobbying whom. I am of the view that the 2015 Act places the Irish State in the top echelons of states as regards regulatory systems.

It covers the full spectrum. There is a cooling-off period which could be longer. There is an independent regulator. It has some teeth, but I would argue it should have more and this Bill goes some way towards that. I believe the British system has grievous faults. The pass system in the European Parliament is difficult. It has become very contentious in the United States ideologically. Republicans are now strongly against any regulatory system while Democrats are for it. There was a much more bipartisan view up to the last decade. Washington state was a great exemplar. I mentioned the five years. That has all been gutted with the new Republican Administration in that state.

Some years ago, we prepared a table of where Ireland might stand and internationally we are pretty good. Adopting this Bill in its present format would further strengthen our reputation internationally and would be seen as an exemplar in the European Union of how importantly the State treats the idea that people should know about people who lobby. I believe we are in a good position. I am a strong supporter of the Act and a strong supporter of the amendments.