Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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269. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an update on the review of ethics legislation consultation; when the review of the ethics legislation report from 2022 will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2789/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am happy to inform the Deputy that the review to which his question refers has been completed and a report on it was submitted to Government by my predecessor, Minister McGrath, in December. The Government approved the Review Report‘s publication and agreed to the preparation of a General Legislative Scheme to reform the legislation informed by the review's outcome. On foot of this, my Department will prepare a draft legislative scheme in consultation with relevant Ministers with the intention of bringing it to Government for approval to publish during 2023. The Review Report itself is currently being prepared for publication and it will issue very shortly.

As the Deputy might recall, my Department’s review of Ireland's statutory framework for standards in public office, which was agreed by the Government in September 2021, covered the following elements:

- A review of Ireland’s existing ethics legislative framework, including a reassessment of the 2015 Public Sector Standards Bill.

- A review of the recommendations of relevant tribunals of inquiry.

- A review of recommendations of the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) based on its operation of the current regime.

- Consultations with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government on the local government aspects of a consolidated statutory regime; and

- A review of current EU/International best practice; and

- Public Consultation - Consultations with various parties.

Responses to the public consultation were received from citizens, political parties and civil society organisations, including Transparency International Ireland. Themes emerging from responses to the public consultation exercise included:

- The urgency of reform in this area, support for the 2015 Public Sector Standards Bill approach and regret that Bill did not complete the legislative process;

- Calls for the reinforcement of the obligation of public officials, as well as the investigative and enforcement powers of SIPO, and its resources;

- Suggestions for generalised ‘cooling-off’ periods, while acknowledging that a balance is to be achieved between personal freedom and obligations placed on public officials to safeguard the integrity of public life.

The Review also considered input from key public sector stakeholders including the Departments of Justice and Housing and Local Government. It also engaged with the Dáil and Seanad Committees on Members Interests and considered recommendations from the Standards in Public Office Commission.

I can inform the Deputy that the recommendations in the Review Report broadly focus on five key themes:

- A legislative framework for Ethics to be underpinned by a set of overarching integrity principles.

- New specific statutory prohibitions, including on the use of insider information.

- Strengthening disclosures requirements to improve transparency and examining whether the regime should encompass more office-holders.

- Strengthening the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO).

- Post-term employment restrictions for elected officials/public servants that address matters not already covered by lobbying regulation and should align closely with that legislation.

In driving this reform process, the Government’s ultimate goal is to create a fit-for-purpose, easy to understand and user-friendly ethical framework that contributes to the quality and efficacy of our public administration.