Chartered Accountants Ireland has responded to the Department of Expenditure and Reform on their consultation on the regulation of lobbyists. This consultation is of interest, as the Institute regularly makes submissions to Government and participates in consultative committees, forums and other groups to facilitate consultation with the private sector on certain issues; the Taxation Administration Liaison (TALC) is one such example.

In the submission, we respond to the Department's ‘Call for Evidence’ document and the key points made include:

• It is also impossible to operate a system of lobbying regulation that focuses on activities rather than on the organisations which perform the activities. Therefore, certain organisations which are characterised by the specific aspects should be excluded from regulation.
• Any blanket exemptions or exclusions should be operated by reference to the organisation of the lobbyist, rather than by reference to the lobbying activity.
• Definitions developed along the principals of the OECD guidance and the 1995 US Lobbying Disclosure Act, and reference to the very many legislative precedents available from other jurisdictions, should suffice within the Irish context.
• Representative bodies should be excluded from a lobbying registration and regulatory system.
• The full submission is published on Chartered Accountants Ireland's website and is available at http://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Global/TAX/Regulation of Lobbyists.pdf