The Standards in Public Office Commission (the Commission) was established in 2001, and has supervisory responsibility under legislation dealing with ethics in public office, electoral regulation and political funding and financial reporting.
More recently, the Commission’s remit was added to with the enactment of the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 (the Act), which commenced on 1 September 2015. The Act provides the Commission with the role of Registrar of Lobbying, maintaining an online register, and overseeing most of the Act’s provisions.
This report deals with the Commissionæn overseeing the Act for the 2015 reporting period. The other work of the Commission is reported on in a separate annual report. Such report is provided to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in June of every year and is published online.
This past spring, the Commission was pleased to appoint Sherry Perreault as Head of Lobbying Regulation. Ms. Perreault took up her duties in May 2015 and heads the Secretariat’s Lobbying Regulation Unit.
The Commission’s focus in the first year of the Act’s commencement is on building understanding and encouraging compliance with the Act. To that end, a significant amount of outreach and education initiatives throughout the year has served to create awareness and understanding of the Act and its obligations among those who may be lobbying.
The formal launch of the online Register of Lobbying and the website www.lobbying.ie took place on 30 April 2015.
The website has been populated with helpful information for both potential registrants and those whom they lobby – featuring tailored guidelines for lobbyists and designated public officials, instructional videos, sample returns and frequently asked questions.
The emphasis on education and outreach has proven effective. Since the Act’s commencement in September, we have seen the numbers of registrants increase rapidly, with the first returns deadline in January 2016 resulting in high numbers of registrants and returns. The Commission is very pleased with the level of compliance achieved to date. It is a very positive early indicator that there is an acceptance of the need for openness and transparency in lobbying. The information available on the register provides the Irish public with unprecedented insight into the role that lobbying plays in shaping policy and funding decisions.
I wish to thank my fellow members of the Commission for their contributions during the year. All members of the Commission are cognizant of the importance of lobbying regulation in a robust ethics framework. Their support and guidance in establishing and implementing the new system has been invaluable.
I also want to thank the Commission Secretariat, including Ms. Perreault, the Lobbying Regulation Unit and support staff in the Information Technology, Corporate Services and Quality, Stakeholder Engagement and Communications units of the Office of the Ombudsman for their hard work over this past year. In a very short period of time, this group of individuals has provided extensive support to the Commission’s efforts to develop the register of lobbying, website and instructional tools, establish regulatory procedures, and conduct an extensive outreach campaign.
The significant efforts involved in establishing and implementing this new regulatory system have borne fruit, with very positive early results and compliance. These achievements are due in no small measure to the unfailing dedication and hard work of the team, and I thank them for their excellent contributions.
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