Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has said he hopes to bring the Public Sector Standards Bill to Cabinet next week and publish it before Christmas.
Responding to the RTÉ Investigates programme on political lobbying, Mr Howlin said he had been working on a “suite of reforms” for the last five years and the new law would consolidate all existing ethics legislation.
“The Bill is ready to go to Government and I hope next week we’ll be in a position to pass it at Government and publish it this side of Christmas,” he said.
The heads of the Bill were published in June and submissions were invited, but by the September deadline the only submission received was from the Standards in Public Office Commission, he said.
Mr Howlin said the existing Commission would be replaced with a Public Standards Commission and a new Commissioner who would have “much more power” and be able to initiate investigations.
“It is I think very important legislation, ground-breaking legislation, and as I say I hope to have years of work put into this published in the next week or two.”
He said all the publications of the tribunals of inquiry had been “trawled through” when the Bill was being prepared.
He also cited the “enormous changes” brought about by the “broadening and deepening” of the powers of the Ombudsman and the Freedom of Information Act, along with the Regulation of Lobbying Act with its provisions on planning matters.
