Engineers Ireland

Lobbying Organisation Engineers Ireland

Date published 20 Sep, 2017

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Economic Development and Industry

Period 1 May, 2017 to 31 Aug, 2017

Specific Details Launch of 'The State of Ireland 2017' - report on the country's infrastructure

Intended results This is the seventh in a series of annual independent reports by Engineers Ireland, on the country’s infrastructure. The first State of Ireland report was launched in 2011. The report has a number of goals in mind: - To advocate for appropriate investment in key strategic national infrastructure - To stimulate debate around infrastructure provision and requirements - To act as an Aide memoire for politicians and decision-makers - To act as source material for Government.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Caroline Spillane, Director General, Engineers Ireland

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Mass communications

Email All Oireachtas Members Formal emails (in personalised letter format) were sent in July to all elected representatives from Dáil and Seanad Éireann to inform them about the availability of the report (with a link provided); some findings and in some instances, to request a meeting with them individually or together with their parliamentary party colleagues to bring them through the report findings and recommendations.

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Event / Reception (1)

Launch event took place with the published report and guest speaker Tanáiste Frances Fitzgerald TD on 18 July 2017. This was with an invited audience from the engineering sector and the media. A round table discussion also took place during the launch. Location was 22 Clyde Road in Dublin 4. (Head office of Engineers Ireland).

Email (2-5)

Invitations to also speak at this launch on 18 July were issued by email to An Taoiseach, Minister Murphy and Minister Ross. Those emails would have briefly outlined the report's findings.

Email (2-5)

Emails to policy officers (2) within Fianna Fáil and Sinn Fein requesting briefing meetings around the report. General emails would have been sent also about the report's availability to the press office email addresses of the Labour Party, Fine Gael, Sinn Fein and Fianna Fáil.

Meeting (1)

Briefing happened as a result of email above on 22 August with a Senior Policy Advisor in Sinn Fein. Our President and Policy Officer attended that briefing.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Frances Fitzgerald Tánaiste and Minister (Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation)

Shane Ross Minister (Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport)

Eoghan Murphy Minister (Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government)

Leo Varadkar Taoiseach (Department of the Taoiseach)