Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

Another element of the code is an assurance in the form of a report from the chairperson of a public sector body to the Minister that it is in compliance with public sector pay policy. There are a number of other things covered as well, including investment in capital projects, public procurement guidelines and so on. Specifically, they are required to confirm to the Minister that they are compliant with public sector pay policy. The element that might be additionally sought is an assurance from somebody that those assertions are tested. By requiring some disclosures in the financial statements, the auditors of those bodies would be in a position to test and confirm that what is stated in the financial statements is true.