Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 - Designated Public Officials
- Published on: 6 May 2020
- Last updated on: 2 April 2025
The Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 commenced on 1 September 2015.
The Act provides that the Standards in Public Office Commission will establish and maintain an online Register of lobbying activity, making information available to the public on the identity of those communicating with designated public officials on specific policy, legislative matters or prospective decisions. Lobbyists must report on their interactions with the Designated Public Officials.
Section 6(4) of the Act requires each public body to publish a list of Designated Public Officials of that body. The list is a resource for lobbyists filing a return to the Register who may need to source a designated public official's details. The list of Designated Public Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is set out in the list below:
| Name | Title |
| Simon Harris | Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence |
| Neale Richmond | Minister of State with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora |
| Thomas Byrne | Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and at the Department of Defence |
| Clare Mungovan | Special Advisor to An Tánaiste the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence |
| Niall O’ Connor | Special Advisor to An Tánaiste the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence |
| Fiona Campbell | Special Advisor to the Minister of State with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora |
| Daniel Griffin | Special Advisor to Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and at the Department of Defence |
| Joseph Hackett | Secretary General |
| John Conlan | Deputy Secretary General (Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer) |
| Sonja Hyland | Deputy Secretary General (Global Issues) |
| Niall Burgess | Ambassador of Ireland to France |
| Geraldine Byrne Nason | Ambassador of Ireland to the United States of America |
| Damien Cole | Ambassador of Ireland to Japan |
| Maeve Collins | Ambassador of Ireland to Germany |
| John Concannon | Ambassador of Ireland to Canada |
| Barbara Cullinane | Ambassador of Ireland to Austria and Permanent Mission of Ireland to the International Organisations in Vienna |
| Ruairí de Búrca | Ambassador of Ireland to Mexico |
| Ann Derwin | Ambassador of Ireland to the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Martin Fraser | Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain |
| Michael Gaffey | Development Cooperation and Africa Division |
| Austin Gormley | Ambassador of Ireland to The Republic of South Africa |
| Colm Hayes | Director General, Global Ireland and Economic Division |
| Barbara Jones | Ambassador of Ireland to The Kingdom Of Sweden |
| Kevin Kelly | Ambassador of Ireland to India |
| Gerard Keown | Political Director |
| Olivia Leslie | Ambassador Designate of Ireland to Ethiopia |
| Síle Maguire | Director General, Human Resources Division and Corporate Services Division |
| Sarah McGrath | Ambassador of Ireland to The Republic Of Singapore |
| Eamonn McKee | Chief of Protocol |
| Alison Milton | Ambassador of Ireland to the United Arab Emirates |
| Cáit Moran | Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the European Union |
| Fergal Mythen | Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, New York |
| Nicholas O'Brien | Ambassador of Ireland to the People's Republic of China |
| Patricia O'Brien | Ambassador of Ireland to The Italian Republic |
| Aingeal O’Donoghue | Permanent Representative of Ireland to the European Union |
| Fiona Penollar | Director General, Citizen Services Division |
| Laurence Simms | Joint Secretary, Belfast Secretariat |
| Declan Smyth | Legal Adviser |
| Maeve von Heynitz | Director General, EU Division |
| Noel White | Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, Geneva |
Transparency Code
Martina Feeney, Director of Security, Coordination & Compliance Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is the Nominated Official to liaise with the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO).
Section 5(7) of the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 provides that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform shall prepare and publish a code, to be known as the "Transparency Code", which sets out how certain relevant public bodies, such as ministerial advisory groups, certain working groups etc. may conduct their activities in a transparent way.
By adhering to the Transparency Code, communications within these bodies would meet the exemption from the requirement to register and report on lobbying activities.
Relevant groups exempted under the Transparency Code are the Brexit Stakeholder Forum and the Export Trade Council.
Guidance
The Standards Commission has a role under the legislation to issue guidance and information and to promote an understanding of the legislation. The Standards Commission, in co-operation with the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform, has published guidance on the Regulation of Lobbying Act for Designated Public Officials.
Further information regarding the legislation and further guidance on the Act is available on the Regulation of Lobbying website at lobbying.ie. Further information may also be obtained by contacting the Standards Commission at info@lobbying.ie or at 01-6395722.