Minister McGrath launches Public Consultation on Review of Ethics Legislation
From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, has today (Thursday) launched a public consultation exercise as part of his Department’s review of Ireland's statutory framework for Ethics in Public Life.
This consultation is open for submissions from the public for four weeks from today until the 23rd December 2021.
Speaking about the Review, Minister McGrath said:
“Our commitment in the Programme for Government to “reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office legislation” targets one of the last pieces of unfinished business arising from the controversies over the last twenty years. My Department's review of the statutory framework is the first step in meeting this commitment.
"I look forward to hearing the views of the public as part of the review. The outcome will inform proposals for legislative reform that I intend to bring forward in 2022. My ultimate goal in this is a fit-for-purpose, easy to understand and user-friendly ethical framework that contributes positively to the quality and effectiveness of our public governance."
The Review of Ethics Legislation kicks-off a process by which this Government seeks to respond to outstanding recommendations of the Moriarty and Mahon tribunals.
The review will also take account of more recent developments such as:
Notes to Editors
Principally a legacy of the 1990s, the provisions underpinning Ireland’s statutory framework for ethics in public life are contained in a number of statutes, with separate regimes at national and local level for disclosure of interests, sanctions, disclosure of donations, and other ethics requirements.
The final report of the Mahon Tribunal (2012) contains recommendations to address perceived weaknesses in the current system. The second report of the Moriarty Tribunal contains a recommendation on the auditing of the financial affairs of Office Holders by the Standards in Public Office Commission . Since 2014, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has recommended that ‘Ireland should replace the existing ethics framework with a uniform and consolidated values-based normative framework’.
The previous government brought forward legislative reform proposals in 2015 (the Public Sector Standards Bill), but the Bill’s passage had not been completed when the Dáil was dissolved in advance of last year’s General Election, and it lapsed.
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to “reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office legislation”. As a first step, the Government has agreed to proposals by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform that his Department undertake a review of the statutory framework in advance of bringing forward proposals for legislative reform in 2022.
The review as agreed by Government includes the following elements:
The review is expected to be completed in 2022.
ENDS