Mr. John McKeon:

The committee is obviously very familiar with the issue. From the sound of it, there is probably nothing I can tell it about it. The high level group does meet and has met twice. It is due to meet again next week. It meets quarterly. We will be looking to raise this issue to see if we can secure more co-operation with Revenue. My own view is that it is more adept because it deals with employers in this field a lot more than we do.

On the debt and the figure of 3,072 accorded normal status, we know that we do not have figures, but Revenue might be able to help. In many instances the status may be normal, but it may be the case that nobody has bothered to look for the appointment of a receiver or a liquidator. They are seen as normal on the books of the Company Records Office, but the companies may not be actually trading. We cannot tell if that is the case. That is where co-operation with Revenue might help.