State ethics watchdog does not back gifts bill

THE Government’s claim that it was necessary to triple the amount of money politicians could receive without having to declare it is not borne out by correspondence received by the State’s ethical watchdog.

The Ethics in Public Office (Amendment) Bill published this week increased the threshold of gifts or donations that do not have to be declared from €635 to €2,000.

The Department of Finance, which sponsored the bill, justified the three-fold increase on the basis that the existing limit had remained unchanged in 10 years and the new figure was more realistic.