Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 April 2022
114. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the review of ethics in public office legislation; when he expects to receive the final review report; the details of any interim reports received by him to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20079/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWe made a commitment in the 2020 Programme for Government to ‘reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office legislation’. As the Deputy’s question mentions, as the first step, I have asked my Department to undertake a review of Ethics legislation in advance of bringing fresh proposals for legislative reform to Government.
As agreed by Government, this Review has been underway since September 2021. Formal stakeholder engagement commenced in November: A public consultation exercise (based on a detailed policy approach set out in a Public Consultation Paper) launched in November 2021 and closed in mid-January 2022. Ten responses were received on foot of this. These include a limited number on behalf of individual citizens, as well as submissions from opposition political parties and bodies such as Transparency International.
Key elements of context for the draft review report’s findings have been prepared, including a detailed survey of Ireland's current provisions, and a survey of the arrangements in a number of comparable jurisdictions. Initial engagement has also taken place with relevant Government Departments and the Office of the Attorney General. I expect that the process will be completed during the course of the summer. The Review's outcome will then inform proposals for legislative reform that I intend to bring to Government later in 2022. There have been no interim reports.
In seeking to develop a renewed legislative approach, my Department will take as its point of departure the policy approach underlying the 2015 Public Sector Standards Bill. This, very broadly, involves consolidation of the statutory framework for ethics and giving effect to relevant recommendations of the Mahon and Moriarty Tribunals.
