Written answers
Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Departmental Correspondence
Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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158. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department has received correspondence on alleged food fraud by a company (details supplied) that has received at least €100,000 in Enterprise Ireland grants, and in which EI may hold a 9.7% equity stake, according to a credit-safe report of March 2020; the measures that his Department has taken concerning this correspondence; if he will outline Enterprise Ireland's policy on funding companies which have been reported for fraud to the relevant State agencies, including the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57982/22]
Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I have been informed that the company in question has not received grant aid from Enterprise Ireland. However, the company did receive a share subscription of €50,000 from Enterprise Ireland in 2015.
Enterprise Ireland, as a state agency, takes allegations of fraud very seriously and is aware of the allegations of fraud against the particular company in question.
My Department contacted Enterprise Ireland in 2020 in relation to correspondence received alleging possible food fraud by the company and noted that the allegations had been submitted by the correspondent to the Gardaí, Environmental Health Officers of the HSE, and the Food Standards Authority of Ireland which are considered to be appropriate investigating bodies in relation to such allegations.
Enterprise Ireland itself does not have statutory powers of investigation in relation to allegations of fraud or other alleged improprieties by third parties including private companies and therefore relies on the Gardaí and the Corporate Enforcement Agency (CEA) and other relevant sector specific regulatory bodies to investigate such matters.
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