Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste has just left the Department of Justice and Equality and has intricate knowledge of the detail on the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and the body of work it is about to undertake. What is her view of the proposal that we should investigate establishing a serious crime and fraud agency similar to what exists in the UK? It was not explicitly mentioned or stitched into the terms of reference of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, but it is certainly something that we could look at in terms of addressing white-collar crime now and in the future. While the Criminal Assets Bureau focuses solely on criminal assets and follows the money trail in relevant cases, the State has been shown to be inept in terms of dealing with white-collar crime, which, with the advance of technology, takes place on so many different levels. Having a properly constituted and resourced agency similar to that in the UK is something that we need to give serious consideration to. Can the Tánaiste give her views on that, because she did say in her previous reply that she might look at restructuring. She seems to be open to a suggestion that will work.

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