Govt criticised over move to increase private donations limit

An anti-corruption group has expressed concern about the Government's plans to raise the value of gifts and loans that politicians can receive without making a public disclosure.

The move has been proposed in the wake of the controversy surrounding the money former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern received from friends and businessmen in the 1990s.

The Irish branch of Transparency International (TI) says the decision is "odd" given the Government's stated commitment to improving ethics in public life and should be abandoned.

Meanwhile, TI's latest Corruption Index ranks Ireland as the 16th least-corrupt nation in the world, up one place from a similar study last year.

Somalia is ranked as the most corrupt country from the 180 surveyed, while Denmark is the least corrupt.