Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As we know, Davos is the world's most exclusive lobbying forum. Yesterday, The Irish Times published a series of extraordinary articles about how Uber apparently went about trying to tear up regulations covering the taxi sector in Ireland and did not disclose contact with the then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, at Davos 2016 in its own lobbying returns. Will the Taoiseach tell us what companies were lobbying him at Davos this year?

Looking further at the Uber reports, it appears that what Uber wanted was a race to the bottom on the terms and conditions for drivers dressed up as a new economic model, and an extraordinary level of detailed lobbying went on across multiple Ministers, Departments and agencies. We know this because of the whistleblower, former EU lobbyist for Uber, Mark MacGann. We have learned that a former head of the Department of Finance was central to many of these engagements. Does the Taoiseach think it is appropriate for someone who is representing Ireland on a public board, or indeed on the European Investment Bank, to be involved also in lobbying officials on other issues at the same time? Is the Taoiseach aware of any other public appointees who are also engaged in separate lobbying activity? Will he bring forward new guidelines to address any conflict of interest that might arise as a result?

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