Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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85. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount spent on payroll in the ODCE in each of the past four years; the amount spent on temporary staff in each of the past four years; the amount spent on outside expertise in each of the past four years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47319/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The pay allocation and expenditure in relation to the Office of Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) is set out in the table:

It should be noted that there were 27 fortnightly payroll periods in 2015 applicable to the bulk of ODCE staff and a return to the norm of 26 fortnightly payroll periods in 2016, hence the modest reduction in the 2016 Pay allocation.

The ODCE also has an approved complement of seven members of An Garda Síochána (one Detective Inspector, two Detective Sergeants and four Detective Gardaí) to assist with its criminal investigation / prosecution functions. At this time there is one vacancy in that approved complement (the Detective Inspector post). The pay related costs for the Gardaí assigned to the ODCE are borne by the Department of Justice and Equality Vote and such pay costs are not reflected in the financial table above.

Specific provision was made in the Office’s 2015 pay allocation to allow for the recruitment of additional staff, including additional specialist staff such as 7 forensic accountants. The reality, however, has been that notwithstanding the increased pay allocation, it has taken some time to effect the recruitment of the specialist staff concerned. Nonetheless, 6 additional forensic accountants were recruited. A Digital Forensic Specialist post has been filled since the start of the year.

Over recent years, a number of senior-level vacancies have arisen within the ODCE through a combination of retirement, promotion and transfer to other parts of the public service. In that context, the skill sets, competencies, roles and responsibilities associated with each of those posts have been reviewed and reconfigured by the Director to better reflect the organisation’s current needs. That exercise has resulted in two senior-level professional posts of Enforcement Portfolio Manager being created, with one of those posts having been filled recently and the filling of the other expected shortly. Beyond this there are a small number of vacancies, that my Department is currently working with the ODCE to fill.

The following table gives the amount spent on temporary staff in each of the past four years; along with the amount spent on outside expertise (anyone hired on a short-term contract to work on any investigation) in each of the past four years: