Political standards commission debated

Public confidence in politics is too low to tolerate self-regulation by the profession, but politicians should be represented on a standards in public office commission, an Oireachtas sub-committee has heard.

The Fianna Fail TD Mr Sean Fleming told members that an ethics commission could not be self-regulating because in the eyes of many people, the Oireachtas had "failed that test already, and shouldn't even ask for a second chance".

He was speaking yesterday at the inaugural meeting of the Sub-committee on Government Proposals for a Standards in Public Office Bill, which was set up by the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service.

Senator Joe O'Toole (Ind) told the meeting that while he agreed public confidence in the profession was low, he disagreed fundamentally with the proposal that the commission membership be drawn completely from outside politics.