Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the €317,000, about which I am very concerned, I have no doubt that it is probably spent in a very good way, if it is in fact spent. It is not about what it is spent on or about the amount of money. Indeed, this allowance or whatever it is - about which none of us know anything and which is not taxable - could be €1 million. That is not the point. The point is that we, as the public, are entitled to know that Mr. McCarthy, as Comptroller and Auditor General, is auditing and having a look at this and that it is being done in the right way. Even the perception of it being some kind of a slush fund is damaging. I wonder could Mr. McCarthy give us any information other than suggesting that he presumes that there are procedures to govern that fund in the Áras. We look forward to getting that information as early as possible.

Again, I concur 100% with Deputy Connolly. It was remiss of previous Committees of Public Accounts not to do this, rather than mischievous of this committee to do so. I hope it is done every year in the future. This meeting is timely and has been informative. I can certainly think of 317,000 reasons it was a good exchange today.