Peter is from Dublin. He lived and worked in Wales for more than 30 years

CV

· Appointed as Ombudsman and Information Commissioner for Ireland in December 2013;

· As Ombudsman, he is ex-officio member of three important statutory oversight bodies: the Commission for Public Service Appointments, the Referendum Commission and the Standards in Public Office Commission;

· Member of the Executive Committee of the Ombudsman Association;

· Second Vice-Chair of the International Ombudsman Institute, having been President of the European region;

· Public Services Ombudsman for Wales from 2008–13;

· Formerly Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Wales, and Head of Education and Culture for the Welsh Local Government Association,

· Worked in a variety of senior positions in housing and social care, most notably in developing housing and support services for people with intellectual disabilities;

· Was Chair of the British and Irish Ombudsman Association for two years;

· Has a Master of Science degree in Strategic Management from Cardiff University.

Lobbying transparency in Ireland

· The Regulation of Lobbying Act of 2015 requires that any person who falls within the scope of the Act, who is communicating with a designated public official about a relevant matter, must register and submit returns to a lobbying register three times a year.

· Registration is mandatory and any lobbyist contacting an Irish official must report the interaction on the register. Thus, it is up to the lobbyist and not the official to make the disclosure.

· Public officials do not have any specific obligations under the Act. However, general guidelines exist for interaction with lobbyists.

· The register is operated by staff from the Ombudsman's office.