Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The rise in this form of crime is a serious concern but I assure Deputy Doherty and the House that the advisory council is active. It met on 30 May last and it is working towards the development of a multi-annual strategy to combat economic crime and corruption. My officials in the Department of Finance are working closely with our colleagues in the Department of Justice to ensure that the council's work is brought to a conclusion and that the multi-annual plan can be brought forward as quickly as possible.

A lot of work is already happening. I referenced the Garda bureau earlier. It has trained 680 gardaí and 200 investigators on each of the respective courses that have been put in place and these members are available in each of the Garda divisions throughout the country. We have a strong legislative framework. We are resourcing the relevant Garda bureau to make sure that adequate training is in place and that officers are available around the country to deal with the rise in this form of crime. We are working very closely with the other stakeholders whose support and input we need, including the financial services industry, the members of the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland, BPFI, and others, to deal with this form of crime.

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