Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There could be. In my experience of dealing with the Standards in Public Office Commission in the past, its first step frequently is to ensure that the statements are accurate and that the officials realise the consequences of what they may have said. I am certain this attitude would not change. The preliminary inquiry could be a meeting to clarify a particular matter or to make sure the public official is aware of his or her requirements. I would not, however, want to understate the significance of what we are discussing. It is a big change. While I may disagree with Deputy D'Arcy, he is pointing to a big departure from where we were in the past. This measure has been called for. At the moment the vast majority of work the Standards in Public Office Commission can initiate is reactive but the proposed legislation provides that if SIPO has reason to believe there is an infringement, it can initiate the inquiry.

The checks and balances as addressed in the proposed legislation are covered in section 35. There is scope for the preliminary inquiry to take place first. This would require that the person be notified and at the very least require the person to come in for a discussion.