Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. He referred to Enterprise Ireland's 10% level of equity in businesses and it is a policy decision because we do not want to crowd out other investors. It is working well and if Enterprise Ireland felt at any stage that it wanted to increase the level, it would be fair enough and its representatives could come talk to us. We would certainly look at it.

Currently there is no cap on the number of businesses that may apply for the further growth loan scheme. There is an annual budget of €6 million per annum for the next three years and it is built into the process. It should be sufficient. The scheme will have an Exchequer cost of €62 million over four years, with €25 million provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with the remaining €37 million provided by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. It is a €300 million fund and we are taking the risk to the tune of €62 million. It will last three years from the date of the launch. The interest rate is below 5%.

I have increased the budget of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, ODCE, by €1 million next year. Its moneys have increased over the past number of years. The report published yesterday indicates clearly that the office did not have the necessary skill set between 2008 and 2012. It did not have the people it needed to do this complex type of work or investigation. Since that time, it has employed eight forensic accountants, a digital forensic specialist, two enforcement portfolio managers, two enforcement lawyers and the Garda Síochána will lead in all criminal investigations. We have increased the resources and on 15 November, the number of Department staff in place in the ODCE was 41. Seven gardaí have also been assigned to the office. It is doing a really good job and the office has had a number of successful prosecutions brought through the Director of Public Prosecutions. There was one very high-profile case that was extremely complex. The director and staff in the ODCE are really doing good work. That is just in case the wrong message gets out. There have been a number of prosecutions over the past while.