A little . . . and late

New Public Sector Standards Bill deals with ethics in public life and proposes abolition of Sipo

Introducing an important piece of legislation that will die with the 31st Dáil says it all. While in opposition, Fine Gael and the Labour Party complained about rules that prevented the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) from effectively policing ethical standards within politics and the public service. In Government, they finally got around to suggesting a range of reform, but have left it to the next government to implement them. That was the approach adopted by Fianna Fáil and the Green Party in 2010.

The Bill published by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin deals specifically with conflicts of interest involving public servants and politicians, along with the abuse of insider information. It proposes to abolish Sipo and replace it with a Public Sector Standards Commission, which will have enhanced responsibilities and powers. A more comprehensive approach to the advancement of ethics in public office, like this, is an important development. In the process, however, the Government has ignored recommendations from Sipo that directly affect political parties.

The absence of transparency involving party political funding and the contrast between declared donations and the amount spent at election time is so outrageous that the Council of Europe criticised it in 2010. Yet nothing has been done. Similarly, recommendations by Sipo that the cap on individual spending limits should not be confined to the actual election campaign have been ignored. There is also no guarantee that Sipo’s efforts to expand its role by providing details of party finances will continue.

A number of tribunals of inquiry have exposed the corruption that arises when excessively close relationships develop involving businesses, politicians and public servants. That is one reason why corporate donations were banned in favour of a State-funded system. Reforms dealing with conflicts of interest are urgently required, along with those advocated by Sipo. The next government, of whatever composition, should reintroduce amended legislation as a sign of its good faith.