Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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229. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to review and strengthen the ethics in public office legislation following the completion of the review of the statutory framework in December 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29340/24]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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254. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide an update on planned reforms to strengthen standards in public office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30043/24]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 229 and 254 together.

The 2020 Programme for Government committed to “reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office Legislation” and, as the Deputy notes, my Department undertook a comprehensive review of the statutory framework as the first step in meeting this commitment. The Government subsequently agreed to the preparation of draft legislation to reform the regime informed by the outcome of the review, the Report of which we published in February 2023.

Since then, my Department has been working-up legislative proposals in consultation with other relevant Departments and the Standards in Public Office Commission and I am happy to inform the House that this work is now significantly advanced. I have engaged regularly with officials in recent months and arbitrated on the significant policy aspects of the proposals. The department is now finalising technical aspects with a view to bringing the draft General Scheme for reform to Government in the third quarter of 2024.