Vol. 411 No. 4
36 Mr. Cotter asked the Minister for Justice the number of occasions during the course of the past year that (a) specialist lawyers, (b) accountants and (c) auditors were hired by the Garda Síochána Fraud Squad in order to assist with investigations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Garda Fraud Squad did not seek the services of accountants or auditors to assist them during the past 12 months. The advice and assistance of the law officers in the Office of Public Prosecutions has been sought and obtained by the squad in numerous cases in the period in question.
I have already gone on the record of this House on 16 October in welcoming the recommendation of the Garda authorities for closer links between the Fraud Squad and professional bodies and agencies such as accountancy bodies. That recommendation arises from the review of the Fraud Squad's resources and requirements which the Garda Commissioner initiated at my instigation last May.
