Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The view for many people is that powerful politicians in and out of Government in the State have stood off and even courted very powerful interests within the media. I think the Taoiseach will agree with me that that is a very dangerous perception, never mind the reality of it. I agree with him that the ODCE needs to be assisted in doing its work and I challenge the Taoiseach to put his money where his mouth is. I will grant that he did better than Deputy Micheál Martin when, in 2005, 2006 and 2007, as the line Minister, he, in a studious way, ignored the calls for an increase in the number of staff for the office. The Taoiseach now tells us that there are 36 staff and the Garda complement. Contrast that with 350 welfare inspectors. Of course, we need welfare inspectors. When one looks at those figures, it tells a tale of where the balance of consideration is. In 2018, the Taoiseach allocated a budget of €5 million to the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. He also allocated €5 million to his unit for spin.

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