Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister stated, the review makes some very important recommendations. There seemed to be an eagerness on the part of the Government to progress the proposed legislation at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, even when there were a number of scandals and resignations and these were reported in the media. Since then, though, it seems it has been quietly shelved. It should be an offence for Oireachtas Members to fail to disclose their required interests. Currently, Members are merely required to correct the record, with no potential sanction for failing in their duties. This is not a sufficient deterrent in respect of the issue of revealing political conflicts of interest.

We should also look at widening the definition of "registerable interest" to include liabilities above a certain threshold, certainly excluding mortgages on family homes. This is one of the key recommendations of the Mahon tribunal. The issue of guaranteed loans that were not repaid was identified as a key element of concern. Most important, SIPO needs true independence and the power to initiate its own investigations without the current requirements that apply in many instances for a complaint to first be referred to it before an investigations officer can be appointed.

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