Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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14. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the work of the Corporate Enforcement Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30031/24]

Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister to report on the work of the Corporate Enforcement Authority.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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In the relatively short time since its establishment, the CEA has quickly established its presence and is integral to maintaining Ireland’s reputation as a safe and well-regulated economy in which to invest and create employment. The CEA has produced its first statutory annual report covering the period from 7 July 2022, the date of its establishment, to 31 December 2023. During the period under review, 454 complaints with allegations of wrongdoing were received, of which 398 were received from members of the public and 56 from various public entities, including the Central Bank, the CRO, Revenue and An Garda Síochána. Some 22 reports were received in accordance with the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 and 239 indictable offence reports were received.

Fifty-one SCARP reports were received and 13 examiner reports. Overall, 80 directors were restricted, 27 disqualified, five warranted authorising searches obtained and executed, 213 witness statements taken, nine voluntary cautioned interviews conducted and 12 arrests made. The CEA initiated one summary prosecution and 12 investigation files were referred to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. In addition, CEA officers seized laptops, digital storage devices, mobile devices and data. In total, over 4.1 million files were made available to CEA officers for review as part of the investigations. I acknowledge the work of the entire staff of the CEA during this time. They very much made their presence felt.

Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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After 18 months of existence, the advantages of the CEA being a stand-alone agency are clear. In particular, the flexibility that status brings is readily apparent. Will the Minister indicate how the agency has performed regarding recruitment? Has it secured its own recruitment licence, thereby allowing it to run recruitment campaigns with competitions tailored to suit the needs of a specialist agency?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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We engage regularly with the CO. The resourcing of the CEA is kept under constant review and the Department is involved in regular engagement to ensure resourcing is adequate for the job we have given it. Filling specialist posts tends to be a challenge for many agencies but we engage closely with the agency on that.