Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 28:

In page 9, after line 35, to insert the following:“7. (1) Where a designated public official is lobbied outside of the State, (in a manner to which section 5 would apply had the lobbying activities occurred within the State) such public official shall be obliged to register the fact that he or she had been so lobbied and the public official shall provide the necessary information to the Standards in Public Office Commission for inclusion in the register.

(2) Provision for maintaining this category of information shall be kept in such form as the Commission consider appropriate.”.

The amendment could be called the Davos amendment, because it covers that type of activity. We mentioned "public official". The Taoiseach goes to Davos but it is quite commonplace that people are brought abroad. We know that when incinerators were being brought into the country there were all sorts of trips all over the world to examine incineration. I am sure that companies lobbied various people. I have no particular project in mind, but this sector is one example I am aware of. It is important that this type of lobbying is recorded in some way. Public officials do not spend all of their working lives abroad. If they do go abroad, it is only a small part of their job. If they are lobbied while abroad, within the meaning of this Act, it is not unreasonable to turn the tables as such and turn over the responsibility.

As I have mentioned before, some sovereign states lobby as well. Perhaps I will re-jig my amendment to include a sovereign state. There are sovereign states that lobby Members of the Oireachtas on a regular basis, as I am sure the Minister is well aware. It is not particular to him, but we are all aware of such lobbying. Some of that lobbying should be registerable. We need to know for what purpose Members are being lobbied and what is going on. If this legislation and my amendment are put in place we will have the complete transparency required.

Dealing with international organisations or countries or being abroad is an extremely small part of any public official's role. Therefore, my amendment is not unreasonable or burdensome.