Ethics in Public Life - Reform and Consolidation of Ireland’s Statutory Framework

Transparency and accountability are central to a thriving democracy.

Having an effective, easy to understand and user-friendly ethical framework for public officials so they can manage conflicts of interest is important for effective public administration.

The 2020 Programme for Government contains a commitment to “reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office legislation”.

As a first step, the Government has agreed to proposals by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform that his Department undertake a review of the statutory framework in advance of bringing forward proposals for legislative reform in 2022.

Please see document below for:

• the background to the current legislative framework for ethics in public life,

• an overview of the key requirements of public officials,

• issues arising with the current framework, and

• A proposed policy approach to reform and consolidation of the statutory framework.

The consultation document poses 5 questions that will inform the review of the Ethics Legislation.

Submissions should be made by 5pm on Friday the 14th of January 2022 (late submissions will not be accepted).

Email to: ethics@per.gov.ie using the subject line “Review of Ethics Legislation”