Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is the reason we asked Mr. James Hamilton and those who worked with him to produce this report. It was to identify ways in which we can support the different agencies. This report will be implemented not just by my Department but also the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, working with An Garda Síochána, the Central Bank, SIPO and many other agencies. This is about ensuring we have everybody working and talking together and putting it on a more permanent footing. While there has been good engagement between the different agencies, to put it on a statutory footing and to have an annual report or plan which people have to stick to and which has a timeline will put more emphasis on this.

One could split a significant part of the recommendation into three - structural change, resourcing measures and legislation. The report found that most of the agencies were well resourced, but there was a lag when it came to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau. There are currently ongoing competitions to fill a number of new places and I hope this will ensure there are the relevant and exact competencies that are required in An Garda Síochána to follow up on these cases.

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