Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 September 2021
237. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of commitment 13 and 14 in the context of the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2016-2018; and his plans to establish a public consultation in respect of open government partnerships in 2021 or 2022. [45048/21]
View answerIreland's Open Government National Action Plan 2016-2018:
The Independent Report (Sept 2018) on the implementation of Ireland's Open Government National Action Plan 2016-2018 found substantial progress on commitments 13 and 14. These commitments are now either completed or have a clear pathway to delivery as outlined below:
Commitment 13: Develop a Code of Practice for the Governance of Charities
This commitment (#13) was delivered with the publication of the Charities Governance Code in November 2018, which explains the minimum standards that should be met to effectively manage and control a charity. To support the implementation of the Code, the Charities Regulator provides; frequently asked questions,a training video, a toolkit with various templates and guidance notes. There is also a dedicated email address which can be used to email queries directly to the governance code team. Details are available at www.charitiesregulator.ie/en/information-for-charities/charities-governance-code .
Commitment 14: Strengthen Anti-Corruption Measures
Commitment 14 has been substantially delivered with the Criminal Justice (Corruption Offences) Act 2018 enacted on 5th June 2018 and commenced in full on 30th July 2018, and the Judicial Council Act 2019 enacted on 23rd July 2019 and commenced in full on 17th December 2019.
The Public Sector Standards Bill 2015 lapsed (as with all Bills that had not completed the legislative process) with the dissolution of the Dáil in advance of last year’s General Election. The new Programme for Government (2020) includes a commitment to ‘reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office legislation’ . As a first step in meeting this commitment, the Government approved proposals for a review of ethics legislation earlier this month. The outcome of this review will inform proposals for legislative reform which the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reforms intends to bring forward in 2022.
Ireland's Open Government National Action Plan 2022-2024:
The next Open Government National Action Plan 2022 – 2024 is progressing, with ongoing engagement with Open Government Association of Ireland representatives and Open Government Partnership, international body. Work is progressing on many fronts for an upcoming public consultation in early November, including finalising an open government stakeholder map; the creation of an open government website on gov.ie; compiling active channels for a communication plan, and an interim Round Table Civil Society members meeting.
