Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join colleagues in wishing the Acting Leader all the best on her debut taking the Order of Business. I am sure she will do an outstanding job. I was concerned to read this morning in the paper a report on correspondence between a certain developer and the Governor of the Central Bank. It is all detailed under a freedom of information request. Where it raises a little concern is in regard to a deficiency in the Regulation of Lobbying Act. Under the Act, anyone who engages with public representatives like ourselves, civil servants or local authority staff must register that. It is going well so far. However, there are wider public servants who are not included under the remit of the Act. While this might be appropriate for small bodies such as the Marine Institute, it is important that correspondence from developers and others should be included under the Act where people are addressing the Governor of the Central Bank. I ask the deputy Leader to raise this with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, under whose remit this is. It is very concerning. The Regulation of Lobbying Act should be amended to include the Central Bank.