The Green Party leader Eamon Ryan says he's spoken to the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar about ex-minister Michael D'arcy's controversial move to the private sector.
Minister Ryan says the former Fine Gael politician's new job is something that ethics watchdog Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) 'has to look at'.
Mr D'arcy - a former minister of state with special responsibility for financial services and insurance - has taken up a role as CEO of financial services lobby group the Irish Association of Investment Managers (IAMI).
Politicians are not permitted to lobby for a year after leaving politics.
IAMI has insisted Mr D'arcy - who has resigned from the Seanad to take up the role - will not engage in any lobbying activities during the 'cooling off' period.
However, opposition parties have sharply criticsed the move.
RISE TD Paul Murphy says he has asked SIPO to investigate the appointment, while Labour's Ged Nash has called on Leo Varadkar to comment on the "revolving door connecting his party and the financial services industry".
Minister Eamon Ryan told Newstalk Breakfast the appointment is a real concern and SIPO should now be involved.
He said: “I think it’s a real issue - I would have articulated that to my colleagues.
"It doesn’t matter which party: I think there is a real issue, particularly in the financial sector, but indeed in any industry - we do need to maintain a distance, a time lag and a gap".
Minister Ryan said he believes he and Leo Varadkar have a "similar shared understanding" about the issue.
He added: "I think it’s an issue SIPO has to look at… I understand Michael D’arcy hadn’t gone to SIPO. I think that’s something that has to happen now."
