Ethics reforms must wait until after election

Much-needed reforms to ensure politicians adhere to ethics rules will not be passed into law before the general election.

Despite the public outcry over an RTÉ investigation which uncovered politicians willing to lobby for personal gain and others failing to fully declare their interests in assets, the laws will not be ready before the Government finishes its term.

Ministers and parties called for garda action in the wake of the undercover investigation.

The RTÉ programme —watched by almost a million viewers at one stage on Monday — showed three elected councillors willing to lobby on behalf of a company in exchange for personal gain or money. The councilors were approached by an undercover reporter posing as a representative of a fake company seeking to advance a wind farm project.

Monaghan councillor Hugh McElvaney, who recently left Fine Gael, at one stage asked “what was in it” for him and said he wanted £10,000 to help the company, the programme showed.

Sligo councillor Joe Queenan quit Fianna Fáil following programme, in which he said he would act as an intermediary for the dummy company in return for an investment in a business he planned.

Separately, the programme also revealed that several TDs and senators failed to declare interests.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the Dáil the actions of those seeking “financial personal gain” were “utterly unacceptable”. Proposals to strengthen the oversight of politicians obligations through the Public Sector Standards Bill would be brought before Cabinet next week, he added.

This bill — drafted in June and part of proposals originally mooted back in 2012 — proposes a new public sector standards commissioner, stricter guidelines on declarations as well as tougher sanctions for breaching rules.

Crucially, if passed, it would ensures that a failure by Oireachtas members to properly declare their interests in future would be considered a criminal offence.

However, a spokesman for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform last night conceded the tougher powers under the Bill would not be approved before the general election is called.

Mr Kenny’s spokesman also said it was “fairly ambitious” to think the bill would be enacted.

Defence Minister Simon Coveney said some of the actions exposed by RTÉ were “disgraceful” and he hoped gardaí would “take up the case”. However, garda sources last night said it could be difficult to investigate issues arising from the programme as “no money had parted hands” and no criminal offence was committed, a garda source said.

Donegal councilor John O’Donnell, who told the undercover reporter said he would lobby for a company as long as money was routed through a third party, yesterday accused RTÉ of “misrepresentation”.

He said he would have taken payment for work done as a businessman but declared it as a politician.

Separately, Mr Kenny promised that new provisions for an independent planning regulator — promised in the wake of the damning Mahon planning tribunal report — would be considered during the lifetime of this Government.

Planning minister Paudie Coffey last night said he expected a series of investigations to be followed up after the undercover investigation by RTÉ.