Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

The heads of a Bill to reform and consolidate the Prevention of Corruption Acts 1889 to 2010 are being developed within my Department and I hope to bring them to the Government before Easter for approval and publication. It is my intention to publish and refer them to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality prior to the drafting of the Bill. Given that the shape of the proposed legislation is not yet in its final form and that the Government has not yet had sight of the new proposals, I do not wish to comment in any detail on the content of the proposed legislation at this juncture. However, my overall objective is to clarify, consolidate and reform the provisions contained in the seven enactments that make up the Prevention of Corruption Acts 1889 to 2010.

The State is party to a number of international instruments in this area, including the Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption and the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. Last November, following the approval of the Dáil, I made arrangements to have the UN Convention against Corruption ratified by the State. Ireland's full participation in the convention is important in demonstrating our commitment to tackling corruption within the State and in a global context. The State is also an active participant in the OECD working group on bribery in international business transactions and the Council of Europe group of states against corruption.

The new Bill will make corruption legislation more accessible by replacing seven overlapping statutes with one consolidated measure. It will also afford an opportunity to review and improve the legislation in this area in the light of our experience as a member of the international anti-corruption groups. I look forward to publication of the heads of the Bill which will allow all interested parties to make an input to this important anti-corruption measure.

I hope the number of Bills we intend to give to the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality for consideration does not overwhelm its capacity to do its work, but I am looking forward to the input tDeputies Calleary, O'Brien and others may make to the development of that legislation.

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