Government 'going backwards' as 42 bodies not covered by ethics legislation  

Cian O'Callaghan said the legislation is clearly not a Government priority. Picture: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

The Government has been accused of "going backwards" after it was revealed that 42 public bodies are not covered by ethics legislation more than two years after a review into the issue.

An update of the ethics in public office legislation was promised in the programme for government in 2020 but while a review was completed in December 2022, a bill has not been brought forward.

Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O'Callaghan said the Government has no interest in undertaking reforms to strengthen legislation and has instead been giving it the "run-around" for years.

In 2023, the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) identified 42 public bodies that are outside of its remit, as regulations have not been updated since 2018.

"Why on earth would you want some public bodies to be covered by ethics legislation and then have 42 other ones not to be? It just does not make sense," said Mr O'Callaghan.

"It is setting themselves up for trouble and will cause hassle down the road. 

Something is going to go wrong; there is going to be a scandal in one of those 42 bodies and the Opposition are going to be on the record hammering them on why they aren't doing this.

Mr O'Callaghan noted that then-minister for public expenditure Paschal Donohoe told the Dáil last year that "we are nearly done in respect of the drafting of the heads of the Bill and I hope to be in a position to bring that to Government shortly".

He said the Government appears to be going backwards as the current minister, Jack Chambers, is now saying there is more work to be done and more consideration to be given.

"The review by his department was concluded more than two years ago. Some of these issues have been going on for years," said Mr O'Callaghan.

"How can the minister stand over that? Will he not deal with this urgently? And how is it that he is way behind where his colleague, Deputy Donohoe, was a year ago?"

Jack Chambers said it is not possible at this stage to provide a specific date for publication of the scheme. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Mr Chambers said he is committed to bringing forward a general scheme but it is a complex area and there are broader operational and policy considerations to explore.

"My ultimate goal is to create a fit-for-purpose and easy-to-understand ethical framework that contributes to the quality, efficacy, and transparency of our system and positively builds on the strength of our existing framework," said Mr Chambers.

He said that the respective policy considerations and decision points need to be made but it is not possible at this stage to provide a specific date for when the scheme might be published.

However, Mr O'Callaghan said the legislation is clearly not a priority for the Government.

"Every single year, it feels like at a ministerial level and also at a department level, they are not bothered about it. It just is not a priority for them at all."

Mr Chambers is the third minister for public expenditure involved since the review was first announced by Michael McGrath in 2021. At the time, Mr McGrath said he intended to bring forward proposals for legislative reform in 2022.