Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We all abhor white-collar crime and that is why we prioritised this legislation in the previous session. As I said, I am thankful for the support we received from the committee, of which the Deputy is Chairman, and indeed all Members of this House, to progress the necessary legislation.

Deputy Quinlivan is correct; one of the key aspects is to ensure that the authority is adequately resourced and that it has autonomy to recruit the expertise that is needed. We have committed to that. The budget has increased by approximately 50% since 2018 and the civilian staffing level has increased by 35%. The level of Garda staff will increase by 50% by the time all staff are transferred across. There are still some ongoing discussions between the ODCE and An Garda Síochána. We expect those discussions to be successfully concluded shortly and we are hopeful that with the amendment Bill the Minister of State, Deputy English, is bringing before the Oireachtas it will be up and functioning in the coming months.

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