New and tighter lobbying rules: what’s changed?
Ireland has just passed new lobbying legislation, the Regulation of Lobbying and Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Amendment) Act 2023. The new law updates and strengthens Ireland's existing lobbying rules, extending their scope and enhancing the enforcement provisions. It will come into effect as soon as a commencement order is signed, which is expected imminently.
In this soundbite, Clara Gleeson, Associate, discusses the key changes and takeaways for businesses and other organisations that engage in lobbying.
Our earlier article on the new legislation, while it was still at draft stage, also provides more in-depth analysis on the key changes and themes covered in our soundbite. There have only been two material changes to the bill in the interim and, with the exception of the two points below, our commentary continues to reflect the final version of the Act as now enacted.
The changes since the date of publication are:
- The original bill included a provision that would have increased the compliance burden on all registered lobbyists by introducing an obligation for them to notify the Standards in Public Office Commission of any changes to the particulars provided on registration. This provision was removed from the bill by the Dáil and does not form part of the final Act; and
- The title of the legislation has been changed to the Regulation of Lobbying and Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Amendment) Act 2023. This reflects that the ambit of the legislation has been broadened to include certain technical provisions relating to security allowances for members of the Oireachtas. These are entirely unrelated to the regulation of lobbying.
Read more on this topic on KnowledgePlus here.
If you any queries or would like any further information on the new legislation, please contact Clara Gleeson, Associate, or any other member of our Regulation of Lobbying team.
Date published: 10 June 2023.