The agreement by An Taoiseach and An Tanaiste to amend ethics legislation has been described by Independent TD Marian Harkin as a case of ‘what was then, still is now’. It was designed to give the public the impression that a significant tightening of the ethics rules governing the acceptance of gifts was to take place when in fact there was no real change.

Commenting on An Taoiseach’s proposal, Marian Harkin said that it re-enforced her determination to bring forward a Bill designed to achieve an effective improvement in ethics legislation.

“An Taoiseach’s announcement, agreed with An Tanaiste, is a charade and will do nothing to assure the public that there will be effective oversight of the acceptance of gifts, loans or services into the future”, she said.   The replacement of the oversight role of the Secretary to the Government by the Standards in Public Office Commission was meaningless because it did not address the core problem of the status of donors or the ability of the Commission to monitor possible favours granted into the future, Marian Harkin said.

“The only sure way of ensuring that Office Holders are not susceptible to influence is to amend current legislation to establish a maximum level in the value of gifts, loans or services that can be accepted by them”, she said.

The new proposal of An Taoiseach and An Tanaiste for an effective control mechanism validated An Taoiseach’s past gifts and loans and raised the question as to why the Progressive Democrats had such a problem with them, she said.

“All this proposed change would mean is that An Taoiseach and other Office Holders would be required to seek the confidential opinion of the Standards in Public Office Commission and, given that An Taoiseach denies any favours given or intended nothing would change and he and others could still accept significant gifts into the future.  Surely this is a case of ‘what was then, still is now’ ”, Marian Harkin TD, MEP said.