Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 October 2004
44 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Finance if his attention was drawn to the concerns expressed by the Standards in Public Office Commission about his Department’s failure to change regulations to ensure that public bodies are covered by ethics legislation; when he will take the appropriate steps to ensure that all such bodies are covered by the relevant legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24676/04]
View answerI am aware of the comments made in the 2003 annual report of the Standards in Public Office Commission concerning the delay in revising the regulations, under the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995, made in 1996 covering Civil Service positions and in 1997 applying to directorships and positions of employment in the wider public sector.
Work on two draft regulations is at an advanced stage. One draft is intended to update the regulations covering positions in the Civil Service. Another draft is intended to update the regulations made in 1997 that cover directorships and positions of employment in public sector bodies. I intend that the latter regulations will extend the provisions of the 1995 Act to public sector bodies not already covered. They will address the concerns expressed by the commission regarding the name changes or amalgamation of bodies since 1997.
