Ethics in public life legislation to be reviewed

Michael McGrath

The Department for Public Expenditure and Reform will undertake the review of ethics legislation, which will include an examination of the outstanding recommendations of the Moriarty and Mahon tribunals.

Public expenditure and reform minister Michael McGrath said: “I am grateful to my colleagues for the endorsement that they have given my Department’s proposed review of the statutory framework for ethics in public life.

“Our commitment in the Programme for Government to ‘reform and consolidate the ethics in public office legislation’ addresses one of the last pieces of unfinished business arising from the controversies and critical examination of our standards in public life that arose in a number of occasions over the last 20 years. This review is a first step in delivering on this commitment.

“Specifically, it launches a process by which this government seeks to respond to outstanding recommendations of the Moriarty and Mahon tribunals, some 10 years after they issued.”

Mr McGrath said the review will also “take account of more recent developments” such as last year’s Hamilton report on economic crime and corruption, GRECO recommendations and the experience of the Standards in Public Office Commission under the current framework.

“The review’s outcome will inform proposals for legislative reform that i will bring to government in the coming months,” the minister said.

“My ultimate goal is a fit-for-purpose, easy to understand and user-friendly ethical framework that contributes to the quality and effectiveness of our public administration by addressing risks of abuse for personal gain.”

The review is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 and Mr McGrath will then return to government with proposals.