Latest news with #CodeofConductforCouncillors
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Former Meath Councillor 'recklessly' breached conduct, ethics watchdog finds
A Former Fianna Fáil Councillor 'recklessly' breached code of conduct when he failed to disclose his son's ownership of a plot of land which increased eightfold in value after being rezoned, the public ethics watchdog found. The Standards in Public Office Commission published its findings on an investigation into former Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council and Mayor of Navan Tommy Reilly. It found that he failed to disclose his son Ciaran Reilly's interest in lands at Liscarton, Navan, saying the breaches were of 'a serious rather than a minor matter'. Tommy Reilly's son bought the 35-acre site in Liscarton, Navan, in 2016 for €500k. It then went on the market for €4.2m the following year after it was rezoned by Meath County Council from agricultural to light industrial use. However, it has still not been sold. At a special planning meeting of Meath County Council in July 2017, SIPO found the former councillor 'recklessly failed' to disclose his son's interest in the land. While Mr Reilly had excused himself from the meeting on the grounds of conflict of interest, the investigation said he failed to disclose the nature of this interest before discussion. The Commission found that this contravention was committed recklessly by Mr Reilly, adding: 'As a long-standing councillor of 21 years service at the time, and with all the experience that entails, the Commission finds that he should have known better and, if he was in doubt, should have sought specific advice beforehand.' It added that the Code of Conduct for Councillors 'must be well known to a long-standing councillor' and that 'ignorance is not an excuse'. In the report, the Commission noted that the vote to rezone the land at the special planning meeting 'was likely to significantly increase the value of the land' owned by Mr Reilly's son. It added that the former councillor 'could not have failed to understand this'. The Commission found it is satisfied that Mr Reilly must have foreseen the risk that he would fall foul of the statutory requirements, but he proceeded without checking the nature of those requirements. Mr Reilly maintained that he believed he acted in good faith and that he had met his statutory and ethical obligations by disclosing he had a conflict of interest and absented himself from the special planning meeting on July 19, 2017. He told SIPO that he had little interest in his son's business ventures, and he wasn't involved in any of them himself. After 27 years as a councillor for the Navan Local Electoral Area, Mr Reilly lost his seat in the local elections in June of last year. An internal investigation by Meath County Council found that while he excused himself from the special planning meeting, he 'inadvertently' broke ethical rules by not updating his register of interests. The former councillor told SIPO that he was 'tortured by a certain group of political people' and that his name had been 'dragged through the mud'. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
IOL News
02-08-2025
- Lifestyle
- IOL News
Mandatory lifestyle audits for local government officials proposed by Cogta
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa Hlabisa has made his intention to introduce the lifestyle audits in municipalities where it is not mandatory for officials and councillors to be subjected to lifestyle audits. Image: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs / Facebook The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is mooting the introduction of lifestyle audits in the sphere of local government. Lifestyle audits are currently not mandatory for officials and councillors in the municipalities. But, this could soon be something of the past if the statements made by Cogta minister Velenkosini Hlabisa are anything to go by. Hlabisa made his intention to introduce the lifestyle audits in municipalities when he was responding to parliamentary questions from DA MP Anna Maria van Zyl. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'The department is engaging with the South African Local Government Association and the Department of Public Service and Administration to introduce lifestyle audits at municipalities. 'The parties are also analysing the existing local government legislative framework to determine if it is sufficient to roll out lifestyle audits at the municipal level,' he said. Responding to Van Zyl, Hlabisa said asset disclosures are mandatory for municipal managers and section 56 managers in line with the Code of Conduct for Municipal Staff Members and Regulations on Appointment and Conditions of Employment for Senior Managers. 'The maintenance of registers for the management of disclosures and the declaration of interests, including the interest in property, is administered by municipalities in terms of item 8 of schedule 7 of the Code of Conduct for Councillors.' Hlabisa said councillors were required in terms of the code to declare their financial interest to the municipal manager within 60 days of their election. He also said his department did not possess information identifying municipalities that have conducted lifestyle audits. 'The department does not possess information that identifies municipalities that have enforced asset disclosures in each of the past five financial years.' The move by Hlabisa comes hot on the heels of reports that nearly 400 senior civil servants that underwent lifestyle audits in both the national and provincial government were referred for internal investigations by their departments over the past three financial years. However, none of the officials were reported to the police for criminal investigations during the same period. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently said members of the executive have granted consent to the Director-General and the Secretary of the Cabinet to conduct the lifestyle audits for the 2024/25 financial year. Responding to parliamentary questions, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said no employees were subjected to lifestyle audits in the National Treasury. He said his department conducted lifestyle reviews on two chief directors and one director in the 2021/22. 'The lifestyle review cleared the senior management service (SMS) members, and no further tests were performed.' Godongwana also said no SMS members were referred for lifestyle reviews for the 2022/23 and the 2023/24 financial years. 'The financial disclosures made in the 2024/25 financial year are still undergoing verification,' he said. The minister stated that the National Treasury has bolstered its capacity to conduct lifestyle reviews by training its staff and sourcing appropriate tools to collate lifestyle review information with the aim of enhancing its processes. Meanwhile, the Border Management Authority (BMA) has put on the backburner the lifestyle audits of its employees due to lack of funds. Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber said the BMA engaged the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) in January 2025 to conduct lifestyle audits on its employees. Schreiber said the lifestyle audit would have been conducted in a phased approach on selected categories of employees before subjecting all other employees depending on the available budget. 'The SIU provided a comprehensive project plan, cost estimate, and the secondment agreement on 14 February 2025 and it was agreed 'in principle' that Phase 1 of the project will be implemented from 1 April 2025 to March 2026. 'However, the BMA did not receive additional funding for the 2025/2026 financial year. The BMA has therefore decided to place the lifestyle audit project on hold due to budget constraints as no additional funds were received to support new projects in the current financial year.' Schreiber said although the lifestyle audits were delayed due to financial constraints, normal vetting of all the members was underway and was conducted by State Security Agency. Social Development minister Sisisi Tolashe said the lifestyle draft policy was at consultation stage before approval at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa). 'Development of lifestyle review and audit policy, that is crucial to ensure that the processes are conducted in a manner that is legally compliant, procedurally fair, and consistent with best practices in public administration,' Tolashe said. She also said Sassa remained committed to upholding the principles of good governance, transparency, and accountability.
Irish Independent
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Former Meath councillor Tommy Reilly faces two-day SIPO hearing
The rescheduled investigation will examine 'alleged contraventions of the Local Government Act 2001 and the Code of Conduct for Councillors by Mr Tommy Reilly, former Councillor of Meath County Council," according to a statement from SIPO. SIPO, established in 2001, is an independent and non-partisan body tasked with ensuring compliance with several key pieces of legislation, including the Ethics in Public Office Acts, the Electoral Act 1997, the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Act 2014, and the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015. The upcoming hearing follows a previous ethics investigation by Meath County Council into Cllr Reilly's involvement in the rezoning of a 35-acre site in Liscarton, on the outskirts of Navan. The land, owned by his son, saw its value rise from €500,000 to €4.2m after it was rezoned in 2017. Cllr Reilly had declared a conflict of interest at the time and did not participate in the council vote on the rezoning in July 2017. The rezoning and surrounding events were later highlighted in a detailed report by journalist Frank Connolly for The Village magazine. Following that, Jackie Maguire, the chief executive of Meath County Council at the time carried out a review of Cllr Reilly's role. The hearing will take place today and om Monday, June 16.
RTÉ News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Ex-Fianna Fáil councillor SIPO hearing begins today
Former Meath County Councillor Tommy Reilly is to face a two-day Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) investigation hearing that will get under way this morning. The public ethics watchdog has said the rescheduled investigation hearing into "contraventions of the Local Government Act 2001 and the Code of Conduct for Councillors by Mr Tommy Reilly, former Councillor of Meath County Council" will take place today and on Monday. Asked about the nature of the investigation hearing, a spokesperson for SIPO said: "The background for this investigation hearing will be made clear at the outset of the hearing." Mr Reilly lost his seat on Meath County Council in the local elections in June of last year. Mr Reilly, who was the outgoing cathaoirleach of the council at the time, had held a seat in the Navan Local Electoral Area for Fianna Fáil for 27 years. Meath County Council previously carried out an internal investigation into a potential breach of ethical rules by the then councillor. The investigation related to a plot of land on the outskirts of Navan that increased eightfold in value after being rezoned. The investigation was launched after the local authority became aware of Mr Reilly's connection to the 35-acre site at Liscarton as it was owned by his son. The site was bought for €500,000 in 2016, rezoned by the council the following year and then went on the market for €4.2 million. The investigation by the council found that while Mr Reilly had excused himself from the vote which reclassified the land, he "inadvertently" broke ethical rules by not "updating his register of interests". However, the then Fianna Fáil councillor believed he acted in good faith and that he had met his statutory and ethical obligations by disclosing a conflict of interest and absenting himself from consideration of the particular matter at a council meeting in July 2017. A report on the matter was completed by Meath County Council in October 2020 and included a review of the council's processes, the rezoning of the land and the resulting planning application, as well as an interview with Mr Reilly. The council found that, according to the information available, no disciplinary action was warranted. The investigation hearing by SIPO due to begin today has been rescheduled on two previous occasions. Last November, the public ethics watchdog said that the hearing had been adjourned "due to issues with the availability of Commissioners." Members of the media and the public wishing to attend the hearing today and on Monday can only do so virtually online. A spokesperson for SIPO said the reason for this was in order to be "fair and accommodate all interested parties." "This way, we can ensure all interested persons can view the proceedings equally, due to limited availability to accommodate in person attendance," the spokesperson said.
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Ethics watchdog opens hearing into Cork TD Ken O'Flynn's comments in 2021 radio interview
The public ethics watchdog has opened a hearing into radio interview comments and social media posts relating to the Traveller community made by Cork North Central Independent Ireland TD Ken O'Flynn when he was a city councillor. The Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) heard an outline of the allegations against him on Monday morning, and heard a preliminary application from Mr O'Flynn's legal team, as it seeks to determine if the comments and posts contravene the Local Government Act 2001, and various sections of the Code of Conduct for Councillors, and therefore warrants a full investigation. The Sipo investigation was triggered following a complaint about comments Mr O'Flynn made on Cork's RedFM in 2021 in relation to the Spring Lane halting site at Ballyvolane. A complaint about the comments to the council's ethics registrar was dismissed, and following a complaint to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, it said the interview lacked balance and had the effect of stigmatising residents of the halting site. Another complaint was made to Sipo and at Monday's preliminary hearing, Sipo's legal representative, Conor Feeney BL, outlined the three key allegations against Mr O'Flynn to the six-person commission, chaired by Garrett Sheehan. The first relates to comments Mr O'Flynn made during the RedFM interview on June 16, 2021, in relation to a report by the Children's Ombudsman into the appalling conditions facing children at the Spring Lane halting site, including the comment: 'What are they now? An ethnic minority?' Mr Feeney said it was alleged Mr O'Flynn contravened the Local Government Act 2001 and in so doing failed to maintain proper standards of integrity, conduct and concern for the public interest. It is alleged he did not keep faith with the public trust, did not observe the highest ethical standards in the performance of his role as a councillor, did not act in a way that enhances public trust and confidence, did not act in a way that serves the local authority and its people conscientiously, honestly and impartially. It is further alleged he did not act in a way that promotes equality and avoids bias, did not seek to ensure his conduct did not bring the integrity of his office or of local government into distribute, and did not act in a matter that maintains proper standards of integrity, integrity and concern for the public interest, all of which are in breach of various sections of the Code of Conduct for Councillors. Mr Feeney said the second allegation relates to Mr O'Flynn's conduct on a Facebook social media account in his name. It is alleged he published and/or authorised the publication of statements demonstrating a biased view of members of the Traveller community, and that he failed to monitor and/or remove comments exhibiting bias towards the Traveller community and other minority groups, including those of an inflammatory and derogatory nature which were made in reply to his statements. It is alleged he expressly endorsed those comments by using the 'like' feature on Facebook. Mr Feeney alleged this was a breach of Section 168 of the Local Government Act 2001 in that he failed to maintain proper standards of integrity, conduct and concern for the public interest, and that this was also a breach of several sections of the Code of Conduct for Councillors. An additional breach was it contravened a specified section in relation to the unacceptable use or misuse of social media in relation to content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability age race religious beliefs or membership of the travelling communities. And finally, Mr Feeney said the combination of the first two allegations collectively amounted to specified act within the meaning of Section 4 of the Standards of Public Office Act 2001. Mr O'Flynn's barrister, Brian Leahy BL, instructed by Ronan Deasy Solicitor, gave various grounds for dismissing a Sipo investigation, arguing the radio interview was not part of the statutory duties of a city councillor, and his comments on the Ombudsman report were "fair comment". He said the interview was wide-ranging, but started with the housing issue, a serious problem for everyone in society, but especially the Traveller community. 'We have a problem with housing in the Travelling community, we have a problem with housing in the whole community, we can either ignore that, and not talk about it, or try and come up with a solution,' he said. 'And I say that's what Mr O'Flynn was doing. 'Did he step on people's toes? Absolutely. And isn't right that we step on people's toes. 'Isn't it right that we say 'I disagree with you, and here's why' because if we stop that, what is the use of political debate?" He said Mr O'Flynn has had more than 400,000 Facebook interactions over the years, and some of the posts referred to in this complaint were published before updated guidance for politicians on social media use. He highlighted the right to free expression, urging caution of any investigation into comments in the political sphere. 'If the State, through the commission are going to interfere with someone's right to free expression in the political sphere, it needs to be very much balanced in the favour of the person who has expressed an opinion,' he said. 'In the 1980s, you wouldn't criticise the Catholic Church. Now you can criticise the Catholic Church. And it's important that we do criticise organs of the State. 'But if we are constantly looking over our shoulders and saying 'I can't x, y or z, or believe I can't say', we don't get to talk about what we need to talk about. 'If we stop communicating, we end up with Brexit and Trump.' The commission adjourned to listen to the radio interview, and when chairperson Mr Sheehan returned, he asked where was the cut-off point between freedom of speech and offensive speech of a type that needed to be constrained, if there should be a higher threshold for politicians in relation to that, where does the function of a councillor end, and if the Facebook comments were still online. Mr Leahy said Mr O'Flynn did not believe he had caused offence, but if he had, he did not intend it, and he apologises. He said Mr O'Flynn's husband, two members of staff and a PR company would have had access to his social media accounts, but after the complaint was made, and on reflection, the 'offending' comments were 'unliked'. There was extensive legal argument, with Mr Feeney concluding by telling the commission it now had to consider if the matters were of a sufficient degree of gravity to warrant a full investigation, to consider if certain elements of the complaint were removed, did that render the remainder of the complaint 'frivolous', and if certain allegations were to removed, was there sufficient evidence to sustain a complaint. The commission has now adjourned to determine whether a full investigation into Mr O'Flynn's conduct will follow. The commission has also been told Mr O'Flynn intended to make an application for his costs.
