The Attorney General has started to draft legislation on the establishment of a register of lobbyists, after recent revelations at the Flood tribunal.
The Irish Times has learned that Ministers agreed at the last Cabinet meeting before the Easter recess to ask Mr McDowell to start preparing a draft Bill.
Government sources stressed last night that it was still committed to proceeding with the legislation on an all-party basis, and would be putting its proposals to the Members' Interests Committee which would also consider the Labour Party's Private Members' Bill on the subject. This formula for cross-party agreement on the issue was proposed by the Taoiseach in the Dail two weeks ago.
However, it has been learned that the Labour Party will try to force the Government's hand by reintroducing its Private Members' Bill to set up a lobbyists' register in the Dail in weeks.
The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, confirmed last night that the Bill, which was defeated at second stage by Fianna Fail and the PDs last year, will be reintroduced before the summer recess. He said he was prepared to let the Bill be considered by the Members' Interests Committee as well as bringing it before the Dail again.
Mr Quinn said last night that referring the Labour Party Bill to the Members' Interests Committee and then waiting for a report would take months. "It would be much simpler if the Government supported our Bill at second stage. It could then be passed on to the relevant committee, where amendments could be tabled. That makes more sense," he said.
In a May Day speech yesterday, Mr Quinn said reintroducing the Bill into the Dail would give all those Fianna Fail deputies who now support in principle the establishment of a lobbyists' register an opportunity to express their support on the issue.
A Government source said last night it was highly unlikely the Government would be supporting the Labour Bill. "We have given a commitment that the Bill would be considered with Government proposals at the Members' Interests Committee. It is better if this is done on an all-party basis at the committee."
In his May Day speech, Mr Quinn criticised Fianna Fail for its U-turn on banning corporate donations to political parties. He said that he called last May for an end to the link between corporate business and politics. "It was met with a deafening silence from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. But the revelations surrounding the Quarryvale development are beginning to change that. There are growing signs that Fianna Fail is beginning to recognise that corporate funding of politics may no longer be in their interest," he said.
Mr Quinn attacked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, for equating the link between the Labour Party and the trade union movement to links between Fianna Fail and big business.
Mr Quinn said the Labour Bill recognises that the financial support for the Labour Party by the trade unions would have to be recast.