Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

The ODCE has had a troubled existence, mostly because of the lack of resources it has received.

We spend so much time in this Chamber discussing legislation and fretting over wording or phrasing but it is usually the case that unless there is proper enforcement, the legislation is not worth the paper it is written on. There are many examples of businesses, and staff and employees especially, around the country that have suffered as a result of this issue.

The ODCE probably hit rock bottom when the trial of Seán FitzPatrick, the former chairman of Anglo Irish Bank, for allegedly misleading the bank's auditors fell apart. That was another example of an organisation that did not have the necessary resources. The Minister famously stated that this will be an Irish FBI for white-collar crime. When will it happen? When will the corporate enforcement authority be launched? How many staff will it have? What budget will it have? What exact independence will it have from the Department?

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