Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Section 5, “Meaning of carrying on lobbying activities”, gives a very broad definition. A person is lobbying if that person “makes, or manages or directs the making of, any relevant communications” in the circumstances set out. “Relevant communications” are defined in subsection (3): “In subsection (1)“relevant communications” means communications (whether oral or written and however made), other than excepted communications”. A very broad tapestry would be captured under this Bill. We need to have some whittling down of relevance or we will drown in a sea of irrelevance and lose the focus on capturing who is peddling power and how it is being done.

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