Written answers

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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602. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff in the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement in each of the years 2016 to 2019 and to date in 2020, by account, administrative staff, legal personnel and other staff in tabular form; the amount of funding allocated to the ODCE in each of the years 2016 to 2019; the allocation for 2019; the amount expended in each of the years 2016 to 2019 and to date in 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6346/20]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The reply is as follows:

No. of staff1 serving in the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) (2016-2020)

GRADE  2016  2017  2018  2019  2020 
Director  1 1 1 1 1
Corporate Compliance Manager 
Legal Adviser  1
Principal Solicitor  1
Enforcement Portfolio Manager 
Enforcement Lawyer (PO) 
Digital Forensic Specialist  1 1 1 1
Principal Officer  1 1 1 1 1
Professional Accountant Grade 1 
Solicitor  1 1 1 1 1
Assistant Principal Officer 
Higher Executive Officer 
Executive Officer 
Clerical Officer 
Total  35  35  39  36  37 
Gardai 2 

1.  Refers to number of people not FTE’s (i.e. not Full Time Equivalents where 2 people working a week on, week off pattern would equal 1 FTE) 

2.  A staff complement of 7 Gardaí is assigned to the ODCE to assist with its criminal investigation / prosecution functions.

Table below sets out the allocations and outturn as requested:

Office of Director of Corporate Enforcement:

REV Allocations Pay

(€,000)
Non-Pay

(€,000)
Total

(€,000)
Outturn

(€,000)
2016 2,808 2,207 5,015 2,728
2017 2,838 2,057 4,895 3,014
2018 3,000 2,057 5,057 3,702
2019 3,740 2,317 6,057 4,300
2020 3,740 2,317 6,057 1,267*

*Provisional figure

There are currently four vacancies in the ODCE, one Corporate Compliance Manager and three Forensic Accountants.

In relation to the post of Corporate Compliance Manager, the current Director is considering this as part of a significant restructuring of the ODCE that he has undertaken to better reflect the organisation’s needs in the context of both its strategic shift towards deploying resources towards more serious indications of wrongdoing and the increasingly complex environment within which the ODCE operates.  

That restructuring has included the seeking of sanction for the recruitment of a substantial number of additional professional staff, and following receipt of sanction, the recruitment of eight accounting professionals (one of whom was promoted to Enforcement Portfolio Manager), two Enforcement Portfolio Managers and a Digital Forensics Specialist, together with significant investment in a digital forensics laboratory, training and development. The recruitment and assimilation of a large number of new professional staff into a multi-disciplinary organisation that undertakes complex work in a fast-moving environment is a project that requires careful management. As such, the Director is of the view that it is preferable to allow that process to fully bed down before filling the Corporate Compliance manager vacancy. The Director is further conscious of the fact that the transition of the ODCE to an independent Agency will give rise to additional expertise requirements and, as such, is of the view that it is prudent that those considerations should be factored into developing the role, and associated skill set, required of the appointee.

My Office is actively engaging with PAS in relation to filling the Professional Accountant Grade 1 posts.

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