Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed with the response I received this morning to the six parliamentary questions I asked over a month ago on 25 October. Those questions have not been answered. The Tánaiste referred to me the ODCE annual report of 2016 wherein the key successes of the office are set out. I have read that report and I do not understand why the Tánaiste's predecessors took no action to fix what I believe is an agency that is not working properly.

When did the Tánaiste become aware that this office is barely functioning? The most significant thing this office has done in the past 12 months is sabotage an extremely high profile banker's trial and, as result, let him walk away scot free. It has been brought to my attention that the figures relating to the number of director disqualifications and restrictions quoted in a previous exchange on this topic between myself and the Tánaiste were secured not by the ODCE, but as a result of work done by receivers, giving the impression that the office is functioning better than is the case.

I received a response from the Tánaiste's Department at 8.20 a.m., almost a full month after I submitted the questions. In October, the Tánaiste stated, "Between 2012 and 2016, investigations by the ODCE have resulted in the restriction of 886 company directors." The figures I received this morning show that between 2012 and 2016, the ODCE only made nine applications for restriction, approximately 1% of what the Tánaiste claimed in October. The figure the Minister gave to me in October is clearly wrong. It seems to have become a regular occurrence this week. Can she correct the record on that matter?

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