Nil Statements – Oireachtas Members
Oireachtas Members who do not have any interests to disclose on their annual Statement of Registrable Interests are required by the Ethics Acts to prepare and furnish to the Clerk of Dáil Éireann or the Clerk of Seanad Éireann a statement in writing of that fact.
Nil Statements – Public Servants
The Standards Commission previously withdrew its recommendation that nil statements be furnished by public servants. However, it has recently reassessed the position. Item 5 of ‘Supporting Ethics Compliance: Top Ten Best Practices for Public Bodies’ provides, inter alia:
Where no interests are identified, it is strongly recommended that persons be encouraged to submit a nil statement. Nil statements are not a statutory obligation but are best practice.
The Commission has not drafted a ‘nil’ statement form. However, public bodies may draft their own form or seek an indication from a person that he/she has considered the provisions of the Ethics in Public Office Acts 1995 and 2001 and declares that he/she has no interests which fall to be disclosed.