Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 14 May 2015

Public Accounts Committee

2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance
Chapter 1 - Exchequer Financial Outturn for 2013
Chapter 2 - Government Debt and Finance Accounts 2013

10:00 am

Photo of John DeasyJohn Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Does Mr. Reid not have any human curiosity about a matter over which he has responsibility on behalf of the public and into which he might make initial inquiries? Before Ms Nolan speaks, I find it unbelievable that someone from the Department of Finance would not pick up the telephone if there were several reports about a spike in Siteserv's share activity, given what has been in the media in recent months. The response from the ODCE was equally amazing. The office made contact with "a number of other regulatory authorities with a view to seeking to establish as to whether any issues arise that might come within remit". It did not even know what its remit was in this situation. The Stock Exchange is responsible for monitoring any suspicious trading, but we are none the wiser as to whether it has conducted a preliminary inquiry or investigation. It passes its files to the ODCE, which then investigates any alleged breach in company law. Is it not always the case of something being someone else's job? This must change. Given what the country has gone through in the past ten years, surely the Department of Finance would have some interest in finding out whether someone or some agency or body was examining what has been reported. This is reasonable, fair and simple. Does Ms Nolan wish to respond?