Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is not the question the Deputy asked. He asked for a tabular statement containing the number of civil servants employed in the Department. There were 1,021 employed in 2007, 1,075 in 2008, 994 in 2009, 906 in 2010, 831 in 2011, 788 in 2012, 802 in 2013 and 803 as of today. Those figures reflect changes in responsibility as well as the effect of the employment control framework.

The position in regard to the matter the Deputy raised is that this was an investigation under the Companies Act, initiated back in 1998. All of the files gathered in that investigation were provided to all of the relevant authorities, including the Revenue Commissioners, the tribunals, the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement and various relevant bodies which had the power to investigate that issue. Arising from that, the officer concerned drew up a witness statement which I decided should be issued and that it should be duly checked before it would be issued, as was required under the Companies Act. The checking of that took longer than expected but that matter was dealt with when the outstanding period was identified, and it has been furnished to the relevant authorities.

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