Ethics change not yet decided - McDowell

The Government will make up its mind on ethics legislative proposals "when it sees the proposals and the arguments made in favour of them," Tánaiste Michael McDowell has told the Dáil.

But the Minister for Justice insisted they would "not go down the road" of allowing investigations based on what newspapers published "without anybody having the courage to make a formal complaint".

He was responding to Labour leader Pat Rabbitte who raised the issue for the second day, having questioned Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on Wednesday about the recommendation from the Standards in Public Office Commission that it should have the power to initiate investigations on Oireachtas members without a formal complaint being made.

Mr Rabbitte claimed that the Taoiseach had "betrayed complete bewilderment with regard to the commission's proposition".

But Mr McDowell said that the Taoiseach had "explained at great length to Deputy Rabbitte yesterday what the Government had decided.

"The suggestion that other matters with regard to the public office commission might be dealt with is something on which the Government has made no decision."

He added that "the Taoiseach indicated that if there was to be a change in the law, he would like to hear a case made for it."

The Government "will not go down a road where a group of people sits in a room somewhere in Dublin and reads the newspapers and decides on the basis of what journalists publish that it will start investigations, without anybody having the courage to make a formal complaint," Mr McDowell added.