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Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin today published a policy paper on the

Welcoming the publication Minister Howlin stated “This Government wants to bring greater openness and transparency to the important process of interaction between the political and administrative systems and all interests who seek to influence policy and legislative proposals and decision-making.

I welcome the large response to the public consultation which has helped inform this paper…I look forward to an open and engaged debate on the role and regulation of lobbying at the seminar my Department is hosting tomorrow. The debate as well as the policy paper will feed into and inform the development of legislation.

Lobbying has a very important role to play in helping to ensure that all perspectives, assessments and opinions are presented and available to inform decision-making in key areas of public policy.  There is however a need to bring greater transparency and openness to lobbying activity and shed light on the key question “who is lobbying whom on what”.

The policy paper has been developed on the basis of:-

- a review of regulatory regimes for lobbying operating in other jurisdictions

- international assessments and research on lobbying regulation

- the content of a number of Private Members Bills and draft legislative proposals on lobbying regulation made since 1999 and submissions from over sixty contributors received in response to a public consultation process carried out earlier this year, as well as further engagement with some of the groups and organisations that made submissions

This extensive process of research and consultation has helped to highlight important issues relating to options for the design, structure and implementation of an effective regulatory system for lobbying inIrelandas set out in the policy paper.