84. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his plans on commissioning an investigation into the circumstances of a company (details supplied) going into liquidation; and whether investor funds were mishandled, given the significant number of small investors and pensions that have been impacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52076/26]

Under the Companies Act 2014, the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) exercises a supervisory role over the activities of liquidators of insolvent companies in the State. The Authority also operates a regime of restriction and disqualification undertakings in respect of directors of insolvent companies.

The CEA actively encourages members of the public to submit complaints, expressions of concern and protected disclosures (where applicable) where information comes to their attention that may suggest a breach of company law. I would urge anyone who has concerns regarding a potential breach to bring these concerns to the attention of the CEA.

Complaints regarding suspected breaches of company law should be notified to the CEA using the CEA Complaints Form available on the CEA’s website at: https://cea.gov.ie/en-ie/What-We-Do/Complaints-Concerns-Protected-Disclosures

The CEA can also be contacted via its website (cea.gov.ie), by email at info@cea.gov.ie, or by telephone. Full contact details are available on its website.

The CEA is independent in the performance of its functions under section 944D(4) of the Companies Act 2014. This provision ensures that company law is enforced without the possibility of interference from any party.

Accordingly, as Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, I do not have any power to intervene in any action or decision taken by the Authority in the exercise of its statutory functions, as this would conflict with the statutory framework which was created to ensure its independence.