Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 May 2019
189. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff employed at the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement; the number of vacant positions in each of the years 2001 to 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22609/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of staff currently assigned to the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) is 38 (35.2 full time equivalent). In addition, 5 Gardaí are assigned to the ODCE.
Following his appointment in the latter half of 2012, the Director carried out a review of the ODCE’s then skills mix and operational capacity. That review, inter alia, identified certain skill deficiencies, as a consequence of which sanction was sought, and subsequently obtained, to recruit a number of additional professional staff to address the identified need.
Further to that process, the Department, through the Public Appointments Service, recruited eight suitably qualified and experienced forensic accountants (there are seven positions of forensic accountant, but one staff member was successful in another competition and was replaced) together with a suitably qualified and experienced digital forensics specialist, for assignment to the ODCE.
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. This ongoing exercise has resulted in four senior-level professional posts, two Enforcement Portfolio Managers and two Enforcement Lawyers, being created. All of these posts having been filled through recruitment campaigns led by the Public Appointments Service.
The number of vacant positions for the years 2001 to 2018 (at year-end) are set out in tabular form:
|
*2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
|
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
*The ODCE was established on 28th November, 2001 with 15 of its approved staffing complement of 30 staff (plus 7 members of An Garda Síochána).
There are currently 4 vacancies in the ODCE, that the Department is responsible for filling. There are two vacancies of Forensic Accountant which have arisen in recent weeks. A recent retirement has led to one vacancy at Executive Officer level. My Department is currently liaising with the Public Appointments Service on filling the Forensic Accountant and Executive Officer vacancies. There is also a vacancy for a Corporate Compliance Manager which the Director is considering as part of the organisation’s current priorities and overall workforce.
