Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 November 2018
336. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of vacant positions in the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement; the length of time these positions have been vacant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49284/18]
View answer338. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement has asked for additional funding, staffing or resources to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49286/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 336 and 338 together.
The ODCE currently has one vacancy (Corporate Compliance Manager). Since his appointment, the current Director has undertaken a significant restructuring of the ODCE 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, three legal professionals and a digital forensics professional, 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 aforementioned vacancy. The Director is further conscious of the fact that the transition of the ODCE to a stand-alone 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.
As part of the annual budgetary process, the ODCE has sought additional funding in respect of 2019. This additional funding request is related primarily to the recent appointment by the President of the High Court of Inspectors to Independent News & Media plc. Under the Companies Act 2014, the costs associated with the Inspectorship are met, in the first instance, by the ODCE. Additional funding was also sought to reflect the likely costs associated with the transition of the ODCE into an independent Agency. An additional €1m was provided for the ODCE in the Budget announced on 9 October 2018.
