Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 13 October 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

General Scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for missing the first minute of the reply by Ms Perreault and if my next questions have already been answered. Is she satisfied that her office has the necessary staff and resources to carry out the operations that are assigned to her office under the Regulation of Lobbying Act and, indeed, any future obligations or powers that would be given following the enactment of this legislation?

SIPO publishes its findings on its website and the media have reported the fact that the SIPO investigation against the former Fianna Fáil Senator, Brian Ó Domhnaill, cost €360,000. SIPO found that the Fianna Fáil Senator claimed expenses twice, I think, during his time in Údarás na Gaeltachta. Is there a mechanism to recover costs? Can Ms Perreault explain why an investigation of an issue involving, I think, a few thousand euro cost €360,000, which I understand is the figure from freedom of information requests lodged by the media?

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