Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 21 November 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Engagement with AILG and LAMA

4:00 pm

Mr. Tom Moylan:

I do not have the information to hand. If I could make a final point, I do not think I saw anything in the general scheme of the Bill in terms of sanctions for someone making a malicious complaint. There are plenty of sanctions for the public officials if they are in contravention of the legislation such as fixed-payment notices and further prosecution. However, if someone is found to have made a malicious complaint that had no basis there is no sanction for him or her. Perhaps that is something that could deter anybody from making a malicious complaint. The issue could be addressed on Committee Stage. I have looked through the Bill and I am having another quick look to make sure I am correct in that regard. It would be helpful to have a deterrent to someone making a malicious complaint.