John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

Conscious, on the advice of the chairman, that the imposition of a reduced fee structure for the tribunal's legal team might cause delay and interfere with its capacity to complete its work within the time schedule outlined by the chairman, the Government agreed in March 2007 that the existing rates for the tribunal's legal team would continue to apply pro tem. That remains the position.

I should also remind the House that, beyond providing support to the planning tribunal in its specific inquiries, there have been significant developments over the past decade in the legislative and regulatory framework governing the conduct of public representatives and public servants generally, aimed at reinforcing public confidence in the standards by which the country is governed. The Planning and Development Act 2000 extended the existing rules relating to ethics for planning authority staff. The Local Government Act 2001 provides a comprehensive ethics framework for local government employees and councillors. It updated and developed the previous law, taking account of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995, and came into effect in 2003. As its starting principle, the Act provides that it is the duty of every councillor and employee to maintain proper standards of integrity, conduct and concern for the public interest.

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