Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

That is a really disappointing response that the Minister expects the heads of the Bill to go to Government in a short number of months when, at most, there is a year left in this Government. It is quite clear that even if we do see the heads of this legislation in the next few months, it will entail pre-legislative scrutiny, drafting and then the passage of legislation. I do not see any prospect of that happening before the general election.

This is a significant reflection on the Government's inability to recognise the importance of restoring confidence in the political system. This commitment was given. It is quite clear that the Government is not serious about it. We are at a stage now in this country where we need to stand up for politics. We need to show the public that we are serious about ethics. Many different areas have been identified, not least the whole lobbying area and the seamless movement from politics to the lobbying industry that we have seen involving a number of Ministers, indeed, and ex-TDs. There is a real urgency about this. The political system needs the Government to stand up for the system and restore confidence in it. We can only come to the conclusion that the Minister and his Government have utterly failed to do this in respect of the commitment that was given in 2020 because they do not appear to be serious about it.

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