Minister for the Environment Dick Roche is to introduce new guidelines on when retiring local authority staff may take up work in the commercial sector.
A similar code for civil servants was introduced last year.
A number of senior local authority staff have in recent years gone to work for private sector companies with which they had previously dealt on behalf of the public sector.
In recent weeks the former manager of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Derek Brady, left to join a private sector company which had in the recent past extensive and successful dealings with the county council over planning permission for a 24-storey tower in Sandyford.
There was no suggestion of any wrongdoing on Mr Brady's part.
Mr Roche now feels it would be best if local authority staff were subject to the same kind of restrictions as civil servants.
Under these restrictions staff who wanted to join a private sector company within 12 months of leaving a public job would have to get clearance from the local authority.
The absence of a code for local authority staff was previously raised by Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell.
While she stressed that she was not commenting on any particular case, Ms Mitchell said the public must have confidence in local authorities. In recent weeks a number of other politicians have also raised the issue in the Dáil including former minister of state Liz O'Donnell.
Mr Roche said he would be "anxious" that a code of conduct would be put in place soon.
