Calls for LDA to be brought under lobbying laws

Land Development Agency chief executive John Coleman, together with its cost management lead Noel Walsh, attended the online meeting, facilitated by an Irish-based 'contact' of Mr Coleman’s at Citibank, with American construction firm Factory_OS in late 2021. Picture: Mike Shaughnessy

Calls have been made for the Land Development Agency to be brought under the country's lobbying laws after it emerged its chief executive met with a housing company on the recommendation of an international bank.

The head of the LDA John Coleman, together with its cost management lead Noel Walsh, attended the online meeting, facilitated by an Irish-based “contact” of Mr Coleman’s at Citibank, with American construction firm Factory_OS in late 2021, according to documents released to People Before Profit councillor for Limerick Ruairí Fahy.

Factory_OS is a California firm specialising in modular construction formed in 2017 which raised $77m in investment in its early months of existence. One of its lead investors was Citigroup, the parent organisation of Citibank.

However, no record exists on the lobbying register of the contact between the LDA and Citibank, as the agency is one of a handful of State bodies — including the HSE, the Central Bank, and the National Transport Authority — not currently subject to lobbying laws.

The news comes at a time when the Government is considering diverting €8bn in additional exchequer funding to the agency, first formed in 2018 to expedite the use of public land for housing.

Mr Coleman, a trained accountant who worked in banking before entering the public service with Nama, met the unnamed Citibank employee in May 2021, following which he mentioned a video he had been shown concerning Factory_OS was “really interesting” and that he would “appreciate a discussion with them if this is feasible”.

That meeting eventually took place online via video call in September 2021.

An LDA spokesperson said “an informational video call was held between Factory_OS, a provider of offsite factory-built homes in the US, and the Land Development Agency on foot of an introduction from Citibank”.

No further communication

“There has been no further communication or business arrangement between Factory_OS and the LDA following this call, with none planned at this time,” they said.

However, Mr Fahy said “there is no way for the public to know when members of the board or senior officials are being lobbied by private corporations”.

The current programme for government included a commitment to expand the scope of the lobbying register to include previously exempt agencies, while Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien previously called for the LDA to be included while in opposition.

A Department of Housing spokesperson said expansion of the register was a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure, but added it was Mr O’Brien’s intention "that the chief executive of the LDA and his senior executives would be designated public officials” under the lobbying act, and this stance has been communicated with the department.