Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 21 February 2019

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister's response and that he has to make the connection. There is a history of independent bookmakers closing down. I understand that certain books and audited accounts have been made available to the Minister, or at least to his officials, with which he can verify the connection between firms that were already struggling and which could not survive even under the old regime, never mind with the new additional 1% levy. That connection should be easy enough to establish. I hear what the Minister is saying. The issue of State aid obviously needs to be teased out. I believe the issue can be resolved because there was no levy on online gambling until we passed legislation a couple of years ago and there is a different regime for track-side betting. If that issue can be resolved there is no reason why clarification could not be brought to this matter at an early stage. I encourage the Minister and his officials, who I know are working with industry to ascertain its views and to scrutinise its proposal. Certainty could save jobs in this area. Timing is important to that.

I welcome the Minister's statement on the fraud squad and private industry resourcing part of An Garda Síochána. I raised the issue on the day the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, announced his report. It was an ill-thought-out suggestion to be included. We have wasted much time on the discussion of whether it should happen and on Insurance Ireland examining its feasibility. We have moved on, thankfully, but we still do not have a fraud squad. Similar to the Revenue Commissioners, the Garda is independent in the exercise of its duties. It will be up to the Garda Commissioner to decide if he believes it is appropriate to establish such a squad. I believe it is, but it is up to Mr. Harris to determine that. Will the Minister make it clear, to this committee and to An Garda Síochána, that if there is a view within the force that an insurance fraud squad is needed, then the requisite resources will be made available by the Department? Individuals will need to be employed in positions within the squad. That is one of the key issues.

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