Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As part of my preparation for this question, I read an article from the respected writer and columnist, Ms Elaine Byrne, which referred to the need for an independent audit of the capacity of the oversight agencies, namely, the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, the ODCE, the Garda bureau of fraud investigation, the Central Bank, Revenue, the national bureau of criminal investigation, NBCI, the Competition Authority and so on. These agencies have a joined-up responsibility. Will the Minister consider Ms Byrne's brilliant suggestion of an independent audit of the agencies' collective capacity to tackle white collar crime? In the article, which Ms Byrne wrote last year, she mentioned that we did not have a police-led multi-agency task force approach to this issue. Will the Minister consider a police-led approach so as to join up the dots between the agencies and ensure they are effectively tackling white collar crime as a team?

Mr. Remy Farrell, senior counsel, has stated that raising fines will not be enough. The people involved in white collar crime need to see clearly that they will be brought to justice, that resources will be deployed in the investigations and that there will be a joined-up approach. When people start being prosecuted and going to jail, the culture will change. Raising fines will not cut it.

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