Vol. 502 No. 4
62 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the promised Director of Corporate Enforcement will be in place; the staff and resources which will be available to the director; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8312/99]
New legislation will be required before the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, which I announced recently, can be established. My Department will proceed with the preparation of this legislation as a matter of priority.
I would hope that the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement would be in place by the middle of next year. There will be a total of 30 people employed in the director's office comprising accountancy, legal and administrative expertise. Most of the staff will be new appointments, with a small number of administrative staff transferring from my Department. The net cost to the Exchequer of establishing the office will be around £2.5 million per annum. In addition, the Government has agreed to the allocation of seven members of the Garda Síochána to work with the director's office on criminal investigations and prosecutions.
