Statement: Bacik Launches Book on Regulation of Political Lobbying

STATEMENT BY SENATOR IVANA BACIK

Labour Party Seanad Spokesperson on Justice, Equality and Law Reform
19TH MAY 2010

BACIK LAUNCHES BOOK ON REGULATION OF POLITICAL LOBBYING

Today, Wednesday 19th May at 5.30pm in EU House on Dawson Street, Dublin 2, Senator Ivana Bacik will be launching a book on the regulation of political lobbying by Raj Chari of TCD, John Hogan of DIT, and Gary Murphy of DCU.

In her speech at the launch, Senator Bacik welcomes the publication of this book, Regulating Lobbying: A Global Comparison (published by Manchester University Press), saying;

“This welcome and important book provides for the first time a comprehensive and comparative overview of the systems around the world which have rules in place for the regulation of political lobbying. It provides an indepth study of those jurisdictions that have long-established lobbying regulations, such as the US and Canada – and it also reviews those countries which have introduced regulation more recently, such as Lithuania, Poland, Taiwan and Australia.

“Unfortunately, there is still no regulation of lobbying legislation in Ireland. The Labour Party has introduced private members' bills on this subject, as part of our good governance programme, as long ago as 1999, and again in 2000, 2003 and 2008. The registration of lobbyists bill would have created a register of paid lobbyists and a statutory code to govern the practice of lobbying. It would also have debarred TDs and Senators from being paid lobbyists, and would have introduced a ‘cooling off' period preventing various categories of people including ministerial special advisers and members of state boards from being paid lobbyists in respect of their previous brief for two years after leaving office

“We are now all too well aware of the unhealthily close relationship that existed between developers, builders, bankers, and Fianna Fail. At a time when trust in politics and the political process is at an all-time low, it is essential that legislation of this sort is introduced as a matter of urgency to ensure that vested commercial interests do not continue to wield such unhealthy levels of influence over our elected representatives.”

ENDS.