Politicians, officials in breach of lobbying rules to be fined up to €25,000

Former Ministers, political advisers and senior officials could in future face fines of up to €25,000 if they breach rules on lobbying those in government with whom they had previously worked.

New measures to come into force on Saturday could also see those who do not comply with the required “cooling off” period after leaving government employment banned from lobbying for up to two years.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said provision for the new sanctions came from the remaining parts of lobbying legislation which will come into operation from June 1st.

Under legislation introduced in 2015 certain individuals including Ministers, Minister of State, special advisers and prescribed public servants are banned from engaging in lobbying former colleagues for a year after leaving off unless they receive permission from the Standards in Public Office (Sipo). For the duration of this “cooling off” period, they are not allowed to carry on lobbying activities in certain circumstances or be employed by, or provide services to, a person carrying on lobbying activities in certain circumstances.

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Under the measures to come into effect on Saturday it will also be a breach of the legislation for a person to take any action that has the intended purpose of avoiding the obligations to either register or submit lobbying returns to Sipo.

Mr Donohoe said on Thursday that the parts of the legislation that will come into operation on Saturday “will promote compliance by ensuring proportionate sanctions are in place where obligations are not met”.

“Lobbying is an essential part of the democratic process. It plays an important role in policy formation. It is essential, however, that this activity is transparent and open to public scrutiny. The public need to be able to monitor the potential influence that interest groups and representative bodies have on public policy issues and decisions.”

“Essentially it must be clear who is lobbying whom, about what and why. This transparency is a key driver of trust in government. The Lobbying Register has, from its introduction, proved to be an outstanding example of best practice in using this driver to greatest advantage.”

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