New organisation established to tackle Irish white collar crime

A new organisation will come in to effect today, aimed at boosting the State's ability to tackle white collar crime.

The Corporate Enforcement Agency's replacing the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement in investigating allegations of wrongdoing by companies.

There'll be a doubling of the Garda presence in the agency, while funding's also being boosted by almost 30 percent.

Minister of State with responsibility for Company Law, Robert Troy, says it's a significant step:

''White collar crime has consequences and we want to ensure that anyone who is perpetrating white collar crime, anyone who is breaking company law is dealt with and dealt with robustly.''