Bank of Ireland Group PLC – Lobbying Governance & Transparency

Sign up to access all our data and the evidence and analysis underlying our overall scores. Once you've created an account, we'll get in touch with further details:

Lobbying Governance

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Limited	Bank of Ireland Group PLC discloses that a new "standalone Board-level RSB Committee" was created in 2021, which "provides oversight of the Group’s RSB Strategy and monitoring the Group’s implementation of the UN Principles for Responsible Banking" and "reports and makes recommendations to the Board on all RSB matters, including the Group’s actions on climate change"; it further notes that the Board Risk Committee "assists the Board in discharging its responsibilities in regard to ESG and Climate-related risks". The company states that these committees are "supported in their duties and oversight by a number of sub-committees and working groups, which ensures that updates are regularly received to maintain ongoing awareness of all activities relating to climate action and engagement", suggesting a governance structure that reviews how engagement activities align with climate strategy. However, the disclosure does not specify any processes or criteria for assessing the alignment of either direct lobbying or membership in trade associations with its climate objectives, nor does it describe monitoring mechanisms, corrective actions, or audits focused on lobbying alignment; therefore, while a formal body oversees climate-related engagement, the company does not disclose how it governs or reviews its lobbying activities specifically or how it ensures consistency across indirect lobbying channels. View Sources	D

Overall Assessment

Analysis

Score

Limited

Bank of Ireland Group PLC discloses that a new "standalone Board-level RSB Committee" was created in 2021, which "provides oversight of the Group’s RSB Strategy and monitoring the Group’s implementation of the UN Principles for Responsible Banking" and "reports and makes recommendations to the Board on all RSB matters, including the Group’s actions on climate change"; it further notes that the Board Risk Committee "assists the Board in discharging its responsibilities in regard to ESG and Climate-related risks". The company states that these committees are "supported in their duties and oversight by a number of sub-committees and working groups, which ensures that updates are regularly received to maintain ongoing awareness of all activities relating to climate action and engagement", suggesting a governance structure that reviews how engagement activities align with climate strategy. However, the disclosure does not specify any processes or criteria for assessing the alignment of either direct lobbying or membership in trade associations with its climate objectives, nor does it describe monitoring mechanisms, corrective actions, or audits focused on lobbying alignment; therefore, while a formal body oversees climate-related engagement, the company does not disclose how it governs or reviews its lobbying activities specifically or how it ensures consistency across indirect lobbying channels.

View Sources

Lobbying Transparency

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Limited	Bank of Ireland Group PLC offers only limited insight into its climate-related lobbying. It refers to the Irish National Biomethane Strategy as an important area for decarbonising agriculture and notes its own involvement with the biomethane sector, but it does not set out a clear record of which policies or pieces of legislation it has actively sought to influence beyond that single strategic reference. The company also talks about collaborating with unspecified “stakeholders” and providing financial products such as Enviroflex loans, yet it fails to describe how – or through which channels – it communicates with policymakers, nor does it identify the government bodies or regulatory authorities it engages. Finally, while it voices broad support for scaling up biomethane production and sustainable farming and highlights the need for further investment and research to meet Ireland’s 2030 agricultural emissions targets, it does not articulate concrete legislative changes, amendments, or quantitative policy objectives it is pursuing. Overall, the disclosure acknowledges a general interest in climate-policy development but stops short of detailing specific lobbying activities, mechanisms, or outcomes.	D