Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The facts are alarming. I agree with the Minister that the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General is under-resourced and the drop-off in activity from the 55 reports published in 2009 to 25 reports published last year, a reduction of more than 50%, is worrying and is due presumably in the main to a lack of resources. Clearly that will have implications in terms of governance and value for money for the bodies that the Comptroller and Auditor General is working with.

The fact that a number of report relating to 2011 have not yet been concluded in February 2015 is a concern. That is not all resource related. Some of the reasons for these reports not being completed were outlined. This warrants attention and I am glad the Minister is providing some extra resources but there is a significant build-up of issues, with 130 matters that require examination. If we have the capacity to provide more resources then we should do so because from my experience on the Committee of Public Accounts the State gets a very good return from the work of the Comptroller and Auditor General in the medium to long-term as because savings are identified and achieved.

I have another point to raise on this Vote. May I query the appropriations-in-aid? The Comptroller and Auditor General will charge almost €6 million in audit fees which are remaining at the 2014 level. I appreciate that because he is dealing with State bodies and Departments where the charges are circular in nature as the money is being taken from one arm of the State to the other. What is the procedure for reviewing the rates being charged by the Comptroller and Auditor General to the bodies that it audits? How does it happen? Is it periodic? What is the review mechanism for dealing with it?