John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At last week's meeting, through the questions posed by Deputy Eoghan Murphy, we dealt in detail with the Poolbeg project. I wish to make an observation to the effect that the Committee of Public Accounts has almost reached the stage whereby, in order to complete its work, to assist the Comptroller and Auditor General and to ensure that taxpayers are informed, we will almost certainly be obliged to hold a meeting at which the witnesses will be the Accounting Officers from the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform, Finance and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. We cannot get to county managers or those who are driving the Poolbeg project, nor can we readily obtain information relating to local authorities, PPP projects and the former's input into the latter. In addition, there is a great deal of cross-referencing to be done with the Department of Finance. I am of the view that the Committee of Public Accounts should pursue this matter early in the course of its work for 2013.

There is a vast amount of taxpayers' money that is not easily accounted for, and this is not acceptable to me as Chairman of this committee. Listening to the questions that have been asked, I do not know how it could be acceptable to the general membership of this committee either. Given the commitment of €4 billion to PPPs and what appears to be a loss of €219 million - and God knows what is the position with regard to local government and transport - I am of the view that we must draw a line somewhere. The officials from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform should take note of what is being said because this is a matter I intend to address in the new year. A substantial amount of taxpayers' money is going directly from central government to local government, but this is not being accounted for and we cannot obtain direct answers in respect of it. We must correct the position in this regard in the interest of taxpayers.

Mr. Brian Murphy referred to the make-up of the NDFA's staff. Will he indicate the amount of money that was spent last year and in the previous year on external consultancy work?