Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is one of the issues we will have to debate and tease out over the course of pre-legislative scrutiny and on Second, Committee and Report Stages of the Bill across the House. It is a question of judgment. It is also a question of what is proportionate, balanced and fair. People do have a right to earn a living having worked previously at senior level in the Civil Service or as a public representative, but it is important that there is a cooling-off period. One of the issues we are seeking to address in the heads of Bill I have brought forward is the enforcement of any contravention of the existing legislation. We have brought forward a proposal in that regard. It is civil and administrative in nature, with a fine of up to €25,000 and a prohibition on lobbying for up to a two year period. We need to tease this out and to look at what other European countries and countries outside of the European Union are doing and discuss it in the course of the legislative process.

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