Martin criticised by standards watchdog

The state’s standards watchdog today rapped Minister for Enterprise Micheal Martin on the knuckles for ordering a civil servant to attend a Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting.

The Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) said it investigated a complaint that the Cork South Central TD had asked the official to brief TDs and Senators on the Groceries Order.

Sipo confirmed in today’s annual report that it told Mr Martin that the request was “not appropriate” but found that he didn’t breach ethics rules.

A spokesman said: “While the Commission decided not to initiate a formal investigation under the Ethics Acts, it informed the minister that it was not appropriate for him to request the attendance of a civil servant at a parliamentary party meeting and that his actions were not in keeping with the spirit of the Code of Conduct for Office Holders.”

A complaint was also received about comments made about the controversial Shell pipeline in Co Mayo by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, former Tánaiste Michael McDowell and former Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey.

However Sipo found that the comments “amounted to reasonable political comment and that there was no basis on which to pursue the complaint.”

Sipo also criticised the Government for not including specific recommendations in the new Ethics Amendment Bill published earlier this year.

Sipo said it wanted powers to appoint an inquiry officer to investigate major complaints.

Election candidates should have to account for expenses incurred before the campaign begins.

It also called for the Ethics Acts to apply to executives and senior employees of newly-established public bodies as well as chairpersons of Oireachtas Committees.

It also called for the drafting of a more user-friendly Ethics Bill in future.

The Standards Commission is chaired by Justice Matthew P Smith and includes Comptroller and Auditor General John Purcell, Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly and former TD Liam Kavanagh.