Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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375. To ask the Minister for Health if he or the Health Service Executive keep an official register of contacts or correspondence between State bodies or employees and pharmaceutical companies; if he will establish such a register, similar to one in place in the US; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6354/16]

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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376. To ask the Minister for Health if he keeps a register of any health care professionals employed by the State who are also involved with pharmaceutical companies, for example, as members of boards; if he will provide details of such persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6355/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 375 and 376 together.

There is no register of the type described by the Deputy.

The Department and agencies under the aegis of the Department must comply with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's Code of Practice for Governance of State Bodies. Under section 5.6. of the Code, Board members and senior staff in agencies under the aegis of my Department, staff at Principal Officer level and above and other designated persons in the Department and members of the HSE Directorate and senior HSE staff must provide a disclosure of interests, which could influence them in the performance of their official duties. The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) publishes guidelines to ensure compliance with the requirements of the legislation. Board members and officers are restricted in performing official duties where a material interest is involved.

The Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 is designed to provide information to the public about who is lobbying whom about what. The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) has established an online register of lobbying at www.lobbying.ie. Section 6(4) of the Act requires each public body to publish a list of designated public officials of the body. The purpose of the list is twofold:

1.To allow members of the public to identify those persons who are designated public officials; and

2.As a resource for lobbyists filing a return to the SIPO Register who may need to source a designated public official’s details.

The list of designated public officials is on the Department of Health's website health.gov.ie.