Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the reports of the Law Reform Commission and of the Company Law Review Group. They are very comprehensive. Like Senator Reilly, I have been reading through them as we talk. I have just two points.

First, not to sound too crass or to the point, there is a general perception portrayed in the media, as we are all aware, that Ireland is soft on corporate or white-collar crime. We all read the newspapers and listen to the news every day of the week. I am curious about the witnesses’ thoughts as to whether or not this perception is true when Ireland’s position is compared with EU standards and our sisters in the EU.

Second, do the witnesses believe that the Garda has enough resources to tackle financial and corporate irregularities and criminal acts? It seems to have been pointed up that we might be behind the curve in this regard, particularly when compared with perhaps Britain or similar-type countries. I am curious about the witnesses’ thoughts on both these areas. They have spent a lot of time looking at them.