The Competition Authority is to be strengthened through an increase in staffing levels, and its chairman, Dr John Fingleton, has been appointed Director of Competition Enforcement.
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, has approved the employment of five professional staff to new positions as well as the appointment of another five professionals to fill existing vacancies.
The approvals follow interim recommendations from consultants Deloitte and Touche, which is assessing the authority's staffing needs and work practices. The consultants' report is expected to be completed in July.
The positions to be created are for two senior economists and three lawyers, while a further three economists and two legal advisers will fill existing vacancies created by staff who have left in recent months. The appointment of staff to fill the existing positions is imminent.
Dr Fingleton replaces Mr Pat Massey, who asked to be relieved of his position last February. The new appointments will bring the number of staff at the authority to 29, including five lawyers and seven economists.
Dr Fingleton, who joined the authority from the department of economics at Trinity College, said staffing levels would be looked at again when the consultants' report was received. The Competition Authority wanted to have gardai assigned to assist in its work, he said, and it may also need independence from public service pay scales so that it could recruit skilled information technology and other staff.
Dr Fingleton welcomed the staff increases, stating that they would "improve the authority's ability to carry out its core statutory duties, namely to tackle hardcore criminal cartels and other anti-competitive behaviour in the Irish economy".
Twelve people applied for the Director of Competition Enforcement position, which was filled by a competitive process. The interview board comprised former secretary to the Government Mr Frank Murray; the secretary general of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Paul Haran; London School of Economics economist Mr John Kaye; the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Jim Hamilton; and the human resources manager at Hewlett Packard, Ms Una Halligan.
