Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 25 October 2018

Public Accounts Committee

2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 10 - Funding and Oversight of Approved Housing Bodies
Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government
2017 Financial Statements - Housing Agency

9:00 am

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

All of the witnesses are welcome. I will try to keep my questions focused. I would appreciate succinct replies in order that I can get in as much as possible in the 20 minutes available to me.

I would like the Comptroller and Auditor General to clarify something on page 125 of the report. He mentions in chapter 10.35 that he audits the accounts of the Department and the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency and that they "are subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General and by implication, to direct examination by the Committee of Public Accounts". We are trying to have clarity on a range of topics. There are levels of responsibility and audit. That makes it difficult for us to have clarity. Given that €2 billion was spent across all of the headings in 2017, is this degree of fragmentation of oversight unusual? Does it occur in other sectors, to the best of the Comptroller and Auditor General's knowledge? Is it desirable?

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