The Cabinet will today debate changes to the State's ethics legislation, including extra powers for the Standards in Public Office Commission to hold "fast-track" investigations into allegations against ministers, write Mark Hennessy and Liam Reid
The measures are set to be approved early today by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Tánaiste and Progressive Democrats leader Michael McDowell, in an effort finally to end tensions between the two over Mr Ahern's private finances.
The two met yesterday in Government Buildings in between meetings with the SDLP and Sinn Féin and Mr Ahern's departure to Berlin for a meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel.
The discussions, though left uncompleted, were said to have been cordial by a Progressive Democrats spokesman. "They continued to work to deal with the fallout of recent events."
The proposed legislative changes would bar ministers from receiving any personal contributions during their time in office, and would prevent "a situation where such a thing could arise in the future", he said.
The Standards in Public Office Commission, chaired by Mr Justice Matthew P. Smith, has sought extra powers for over two years, though it was given little guidance up until now.
The commission has twice warned that it cannot appoint an investigator to carry out a preliminary investigation unless it has received a complaint.
"[We] consider that the legislation should be amended so that an inquiry officer can be appointed in a case where it wishes to pursue a matter under the legislation but has not received a complaint," it said in 2004.
However, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the latest proposals were "a cover-up for the PDs not asking the questions and getting the answers they should have last week when they had the opportunity".
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said legislation could not cover every "circumstance" where a minister accepted money for private use: "It's either, you know you should do it, or you know you shouldn't do it.
"If Michael McDowell wants a fig-leaf to cover up his various sojourns up the hill and back down again, well I'm all in favour of saving face, if that's not a contradiction in terms of the fig-leaf."
Last night, the Progressive Democrats launched a strong attack on Fine Gael and Labour, accusing both parties of having failed to follow proper ethical standards when they were in office. PD Minister of State for Health Tim O'Malley said his party had faced politically motivated criticism from the Opposition "because of lapses which occurred in another party".
Fine Gael, he said, paid £100,000 in back taxes to the Revenue in 2001 after admitting that it had paid nearly £60,000 in under-the-counter payments to staff during the 1990s.
Asked in Berlin last night if his Coalition difficulties were behind him, Mr Ahern said: "Yes I hope so." He added: "I haven't missed one event, one meeting, one file in the last weeks. I think it would be best from the country's point of view to get on with it."
