Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests. I will follow up on a couple of matters. Legislation on procurement went through the Seanad yesterday that included the matter of price-quality ratios in public procurement. Procurement is an area where it is very important we empower procurement officers to use quality criteria and assessment criteria. I note there seems to have been a fear of applying those measures. On the issue of inappropriate contracts, if we apply quality criteria as well as lowest bid criteria to the procurement process, we are more likely to identify situations where perhaps unsuitable applicants may be given contracts, such as those we have seen in the UK.

I will follow up on two or three matters. Mr. Devitt mentioned being employed as a lobbyist for an NGO. It may be important to look at heads 5 and 6 because these are important areas. The changes in the Bill should make it clear it will apply regardless of whether somebody is remunerated or is an employee, where he or she is, in effect, a representative of a coalition of business interests or a business representative body. It is the fact of the individual being an officeholder. For example, in one instance, I was on a committee that was lobbied by somebody who told us they held a voluntary role but was representing a number of bodies that had very significant financial interests, even though there was no direct financial interest in respect of the individual who may have been lobbying. In that same instance, and I wonder if this is something that could or should be addressed in the Bill, it was interesting that there was a coalition of business interests but I remember that person declined to confirm all the members of that coalition. On transparency, where there is a coalition of business interests lobby, it is important all the members of that coalition are named so we know, when we speak to a person, who we are speaking to. I am not sure whether my microphone cut off.