Professor Gary Murphy:

I would agree with Mr. Devitt in that context. The Deputy’s question goes to the heart of what I was getting at with Deputy O'Callaghan. We need to be very careful in the definition that we do not stop ordinary citizens engaging with Government and with representatives such as Deputies, Senators, county councillors and the people who represent them and who we vote for. For the most part, I am comfortable with the definition of lobbyist used back in 2015 but I would agree with Mr. Devitt's point. What we are trying to get at in the definition of lobbying is what public policies or decisions are being taken that can have a material effect on a person, an organisation or an interest group. I would be comfortable enough that the current definition, beyond what Mr. Devitt said, works.