Written answers

Thursday, 2 July 2015

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Ministerial Meetings

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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107. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of requests for meetings he has received from private, external, non-State funded lobby groups; the number of meetings he has held with these groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26703/15]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I understand that the Deputy is seeking information in relation to meetings sought or held since January 2014. I further understand that the Deputy is referring to any non-State funded bodies when he uses the term “private external lobby groups” and this would comprehend Chambers of Commerce, IBEC, ICTU and many others. In these contexts, records show the following data as requested by the Deputy for the period January 2014 to end-June 2015:

-No.
Number of requests to Minister for meetings received from “private external lobby groups”:27
Number of meetings requested by “private external lobby groups” that actually took place:24
Number of meetings (excluding with officials only):312

As the Deputy will appreciate, as Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, many representative groups and, sometimes, groups or entities representing individuals, companies, sectors or groups will seek meetings with me to discuss policy options on a wide range of issues impacting my portfolio. Such meetings are a useful way for me to hear, first hand, the issues of concern of our stakeholders, as well as for me to articulate policy directions that I am pursuing on issues such as the Action Plan for Jobs, Regulatory and Legislative Reform, Consumer Rights, Science Policy and so on. I would also, of course, have engagements with individual enterprises and their representative organisations on the many Trade and Investment Missions undertaken through Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Science Foundations Ireland, among others.

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