Seanad debates

Thursday, 5 February 2015

Regulation of Lobbying Bill 2014: Committee Stage

 

1:30 pm

Photo of Trevor Ó ClochartaighTrevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My party is opposing this section. We can see no valid reason to protect from public scrutiny the lobbying of public officials with respect to public policy, legislative or funding decisions on the basis of adverse effect on the financial interests of the State, business interests generally or particularly, or potential material financial loss to, prejudice to the competitive position of, or contractual negotiations engaged in by the lobbyist or his or her client. If the Minister has a legitimate purpose to this, perhaps he could draw this provision very narrowly. As it stands, one could drive a transport truck through this loophole. Indeed, secrecy of this nature in the form of delayed public scrutiny, and for these same cited reasons, is what helped bring the State to its economic knees. It is not acceptable. This Bill has to be about changing all of that. The purpose of this provision, as it stands, undermines the Bill as a whole and it is strongly opposed on this basis.

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