Westmeath mid-table in list of lobbyist locations

Three out of every five people in this country registered to engage last year in lobbying activities were from Dublin, with Cork coming in a long way behind in second place and Westmeath registering a mid-tale position, according to the annual report on the Regulation of Lobbying, released last week.

Some 2,548 were registered on the Island of Ireland, of whom 1,524 were based in Dublin. Cork (152), Galway (135) and Kildare (100) were the only other counties with a hundred or more registrants.

Westmeath had 28 registered - the greatest number in any of the midland counties, with Offaly having 13, Longford 10, Laois 16, Cavan 15 and Roscommon 11.

A further 162 registrants were from outside the country.

Under the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015, a person carries on Regulated Lobbying activities if, in summary, the person communicates directly or indirectly with a designated public official about a ‘relevant matter’, including the development or zoning of land, and the communication is not specifically excepted.

Those required to lobby are employers with more than 10 full-time employees, or who are over representative or issue-based bodies with one or more full-time employees, or who are paid to communicate on behalf of one of the above.

The top five public policy matters about which lobbying took place in 2024 were health, economic development and industry, justice and equality, agriculture and housing.