Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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32. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to reform the Ethics in Public Office legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50533/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I can assure the Deputy that reform of the Ethics legislation is a priority for both myself and my ministerial colleagues and we have committed as much in our Programme for Government. This is, nevertheless, a very complex area that requires careful consideration before I finalise the concrete details of proposals for legislative reform.

My Department has already prepared the ground by undertaking a comprehensive review of the legislative framework for ethics in public life during the last Government, the Report and findings of which were published in February 2023.

This Report's recommendations include that the legislative framework for Ethics should be underpinned by a set of integrity principles; that disclosure requirements should be strengthened to improve transparency; and that consideration should be given to whether the regime should encompass more office holders. The Report also recommends a strengthening of SIPO. Certain more recent recommendations in relation to ethics will also need to be considered in the context of the reform agenda.

A variety of challenging operational and policy considerations flow from this, which I intend to explore fully in order to get them right. I am conscious that this represents an opportunity to make real and meaningful change to our current regime and I wish to ensure that this happens in a way that is coherent from a policy perspective and user-friendly from an operational perspective.

I will look in detail at the outstanding policy issues and engage with my officials to determine the most appropriate way to move forward and deliver our Programme for Government commitment.