Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
Companies Registration Office: Discussion
Mr. John Newham:
Hopefully, I can give that assurance, certainly in respect of the Department's oversight. We provide a bridge between both bodies, which is something that is high on our agenda. In terms of business as usual, a programme of activities and reforms around planning is under way in the CRO regarding the matters we discussed. That is a matter for the CRO. The cases that have been referred to the ODCE are for it to investigate. Depending on the outcome of those investigations, if tweaks are needed in the CRO's operations, or even the legislation, that would be reported both to the Department and the CRO. I confirm that there is constant ongoing engagement between the two bodies, but also in a more formalised setting through the Company Law Review Group, CLRG. Indeed, the Department has liaison meetings on a quarterly basis. We do not wait for those liaison meetings - we raise issues. When the CRO raises issues that have an impact on corporate enforcement, we relay that. Those mechanisms are in place. To answer the Chairman's fundamental question, no, this cannot be business as usual. We do not want that. We want this thing sorted out.
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