Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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59. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when he will implement the remaining sections of the Lobbying Act 2015; his plans to give the Standards in Public Office Commission authority to investigate and to prosecute cases where lobbying legislation is not complied with and to levy fines for breaches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19745/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Currently, part 4 of the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015, which relates to enforcement provisions, has not been commenced. This was a deliberate decision made to allay any concerns that stakeholders may have had about inadvertent non-compliance with the provisions of the Act and to allow those lobbying a period of time to become familiar with their legal obligations and the registration system.

When the Bill was being considered in the Oireachtas, it was outlined that the enforcement provisions would not be put in place until after the first review of the Act was completed. The review will kick off in September and is expected to be completed in Q1 2017.

Given how well the first two registration periods went, and following consultation with the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPOC), it is proposed that SIPOC should work towards a commencement date for the enforcement provisions of 1 January 2017. This allows additional time for the Act to bed down and for persons lobbying to put in place their own systems for recording and reporting their lobbying activities. It also ensures that the legislative review will be largely complete before commencement of the enforcement provisions.

It is my intention to sign the Commencement Order shortly giving effect to the enforcement provisions from 1 January 2017.