Laws to register lobbyists in ‘months’

Laws establishing a register of all professional lobbyists and proper records of all meetings with ministers will be published in the next two months, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore told the Dáil.

“When someone walks in the door of a government minister or department, there will be a record of what was asked for, who asked for it and on whose behalf,” said Mr Gilmore.

The Tánaiste was responding to questions raised by the Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, who said it was “wrong” that the former Rehab director, Frank Flannery, was paid for by the charity to lobby cabinet members.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan confirmed he was lobbied by Mr Flannery — not on behalf of Rehab, but in his capacity of chairman of the Philanthropic Forum from which he stepped down yesterday.

“There are people lobbying all the time and he was appointed to be chair of this Phil Forum,” said Mr Noonan. “It represents charities and on what grounds would I refuse to meet him?”

Mr Martin told the Dáil it was “extraordinary that somebody with the unrivalled access to power that Mr Flannery had — still has — should be paid”.

He said the Government should clarify whether he was paid to do this work on behalf of Rehab and who was lobbied.”

Mr Gilmore said he did not know what arrangements were in place between Mr Flannery and Rehab, and the appropriate place to examine that is in the Public Accounts Committee.

He said that the legislation to provide a regime whereby lobbyists are registered is in an advanced stage and will be published early in the second quarter of this year.

The Labour leader said lobbying is not a new phenomenon and Fianna Fáil had a “long time to reflect on this — at a time when we had tribunal after tribunal examining issues of lobbying senior figures involved in Fianna Fáil”.