TWO IMPORTANT reports were issued by the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) last month and the responses they receive will indicate, to a large extent, whether anything has been learned from the excesses of the Celtic Tiger years.
In one instance, a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) concerning complaints against former Senator Ivor Callely over the possible abuse of an Oireachtas mobile phone scheme. In the other, Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan was asked to end a system of discretionary spending by councillors and to institute a statutory complaints procedure against officials at local level.
The latter issue represents much of what is wrong in Irish politics. Just as government ministers are wrongly expected to “deliver” special projects to their constituencies, many local authorities maintain an effective slush fund from which elected members may draw down money for specific projects. This is done through “notices of motion”. Sipo found it was not unusual for council employees to approach elected members in the expectation their areas would benefit from such funds. It also found there was an almost complete lack of records relating to the use of public resources. Sipo recommended the Minister should end these practices and ensure that scarce resources are expended in the public interest “and not in the interests of private individuals, be they employees or members of local authorities or any other persons”.
A disturbing aspect of the formal investigation has involved apparent efforts by Mayo County Council to minimise its significance. The case involved Kieran Lynn, senior executive engineer for the council. Sipo found Mr Lynn had approached three councillors to secure discretionary funding for the removal of a dangerous bend that inhibited development of his land. A breach of the Local Government Act was found to have been deliberately committed and to represent a serious matter. It also found the Mr Lynn had failed to disclose his property interests on four occasions.
Afters years of tribunals and bad planning, the Government parties have promised fundamental reform of the manner in which politicians and officials conduct business. Slush funds should be banned. In the case of Mr Callely, the DPP should make an early determination. As for ethical behaviour at political and official level, legislation that will strengthen the powers of Sipo to investigate complaints is urgently required.