The Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 has been signed into law by President Michael D. Higgins. The Act establishes a public register of organisations, including trade unions, engaged in lobbying Government and senior civil and public servants on public policy matters. 

The aim of the legislation is to bring greater transparency to lobbying in Ireland. It does not restrict lobbying communications activities, but it requires organisations that engage in lobbying, including trade unions, to report it publicly. The Act will commence on September 1^st 2015, and the first return by trade unions to the lobbying regulator (the Standards in Public Office Commission) will be required by January 21^st 2016.

The Act requires that only the employees of an organisation, such as fulltime trade union officials, register their lobbying activity. The legislation does not require trade union member activists to register. In the event of a ‘grassroots’ lobbying campaign, where a trade union specifically asks members to take part in lobbying, the trade union must register that it has done so.

Announcing the legislation, the Minister for Public Reform and Expenditure Brendan Howlin TD said the web based registration system, which will be launched in May, is designed to “show who is lobbying whom about what?”

The minister added, “Active lobbying is an essential element of a well-functioning and mature democracy. The aim of this Act is unequivocally not to restrict the flow of information, opinions or perspectives feeding into policy making or legislation but rather to bring about significantly greater transparency around this process.”