Ranking shows corruption in Ireland rising

Ireland's reputation is falling down the world rankings because of corruption, according to the campaign group Transparency International.

Ireland is 17th out of 180 countries in the organisation's latest corruption perceptions index, down from 11th in 1995.

Transparency International is blaming weak safeguards against corruption and the Government's reversal of important political reforms for the perceived downturn in public standards.

It says Irish businesses are losing out because of this reputation, which can hamper a country's ability to attract foreign investment.