Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The heads of the health information and standards Bill were cleared last November. The Bill is being drafted and will be published in the new year.

The planning Bill mentioned by the Deputy was approved by the Cabinet this morning, with the appointment of a regulator and the publication of the six reports commissioned a few years ago. It was also noted that the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government could proceed to implement the recommendations made in so far as it was concerned and that other measures that would require Government approval would be brought back by the Minister in due course.

The final Bill mentioned by the Deputy was the public sector standards Bill 2015. This morning the Government approved the text of the Bill which is to be presented to the Dáil or the Seanad and circulated to Deputies and Senators. It also approved the explanatory memorandum. As the Deputy knows, the Bill has been designed to simplify, modernise and streamline the current legislative ethics framework which is in urgent need of reform. It seeks to respond to the extensive and detailed recommendations made by the Mahon tribunal and to meet the commitment made in the statement for Government to publish legislation to consolidate local and national ethics requirements and give effect to the recommendations made by tribunals. The Government cleared the Bill this morning for publication and the public sector standard will replace the SIPO. It will obviously be able to have many more authoritative opportunities to deal with ethics and matters surrounding them in the time ahead. The Deputy will be getting a copy of the Bill.

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