Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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269. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when the review of ethics legislation by his Department will be completed; if there are plans to publish the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17969/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We made a commitment the 2020 Programme for Government to “reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office legislation”. The review of the statutory framework that I have initiated and to which the Deputy’ question refers is the first step in meeting this commitment.

In brief, this review is examining:

- Ireland’s existing ethics legislative framework;

- The recommendations made by the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) based on its operation of the current regime;

- International best practice; and

- The views of stakeholders including through a public consultation.

It will also consider the outstanding recommendations of the Moriarty and Mahon tribunals and take account of more recent developments such as:

- The ‘Hamilton Report’ recommendations on preventing economic crime and corruption, published in December 2020; and

- The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) recommendations on reform of our statutory framework for ethics.

The review’s tasks have been underway since September 2021: formal stakeholder engagement commenced in November and a public consultation exercise based on a detailed proposed policy approach closed in mid-January 2022. I envisage that this process will be completed by end June 2022 and a report published. The outcome of the Review will then inform proposals for legislative reform that I intend to bring to Government later in 2022. In this, my ultimate goal is a fit-for-purpose, easy to understand and user-friendly statutory framework that contributes to the quality and effectiveness of our public governance and by so doing enhances trust and confidence in public officials and democratic institutions.