Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have a query about subhead C7 - Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. It is an issue I have raised a number of times. I have a problem with the way it is run in some ways. I have detailed my problems with the work of the ODCE and the committee has agreed to examine it early in 2018. We are inviting the Minister to come to discuss it. Taking back €750,000 from the office does not seem appropriate. Concerns I have raised include the collapse of Sean Fitzpatrick's trial due to coaching in the making of witness statements, the late disclosure of documents, perceived bias on the part of ODCE investigators and the shredding of documents. Another concern was that there had been no prosecutions or convictions in the previous two years. Only 43 prosecutions have been brought by the ODCE in the past decade, a shockingly low figure in that time. The most senior Garda position in the ODCE has been vacant since September 2016 and the ODCE's annual report shows that almost €6 million of its allocated funding has been returned to the State in the past three years alone, including €2.7 million in 2016, a year in which no prosecutions or convictions were achieved by the agency. The agency has only 35 staff and five gardaí in 2017 to investigate all white collar crime in Ireland. It is simply not enough. It is not appropriate that we have not spent the money that is available. Perhaps the Minister might comment on the matter.