New legislation drafted in response to the Bertie Ahern payments controversy of last October is included in the Government's list of 25 Bills to be published during the spring Dáil session which begins today.
At the height of the payments controversy, Tánaiste Michael McDowell agreed to continue his support for the Taoiseach on the basis that the law would be changed to ensure that personal gifts or loans to politicians would have to be declared in future.
In his statement at the end of that controversy, Mr Ahern said he and Mr McDowell had agreed to amend existing ethics legislation.
Legislation to give effect to that agreement has been included on the list of Bills to be published by the Government between now and the end of the current session at Easter.
The Ethics Bill will require Ministers and Oireachtas members to seek the opinion of the Standards in Public Office Commission before accepting a significant gift or loan from a friend, and to abide by that decision. The Bill and the other 24 pieces of legislation promised this session will add to the 28 Bills already before the Dáil or Seanad.
"Publishing 25 Bills is an ambitious undertaking and it reflects the Government's determination to fulfil its commitments outlined in the agreed Programme for Government and also to bring about other necessary legislation reforms," Government chief whip Tom Kitt said last night.
However, Opposition whips queried whether there would be time to pass much of the legislation. Labour chief whip Emmet Stagg said that if the programme published yesterday were put on sale in a bookshop, it would need to be filed under "fiction".
"The fact is that the Government knows quite well that it has no prospect of publishing the majority of the 25 Bills promised prior to Easter, which will effectively mark the end of the lifetime of this Dáil."
Green Party chief whip Dan Boyle also said very few of the 25 new Bills promised could be finalised before the election.
The payments controversy arose when The Irish Times revealed the Taoiseach had received between €50,000 and €100,000 for his personal use from business friends when he was minister for finance in 1993. Mr Ahern maintained the money had been given as loans.
