Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

Vote 24 for the Department of Justice and Equality provides funding for a broad range of services and activities undertaken directly by the Department of Justice and Equality or funded by the Department through the provision of grants. This includes the Irish Probation Service, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, the Reception and Integration Agency, the State pathology service and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. An overview of the main funded services and agencies is given in a summary diagram which I have attached to this opening statement.

The policy and oversight remit of the Department has changed somewhat since the beginning of 2017. This is reflected in the appropriation account. Responsibility for the Charities Regulatory Authority transferred from the Department of Justice and Equality to the Department of Rural and Community Development in July 2017. In accordance with standard Government accounting procedures, the voted expenditure related to the authority for all of 2017 is reflected in the appropriation account of the Department of Rural and Community Development. Responsibility for Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Votes of the Valuation Office and the Property Registration Authority transferred from the Department of Justice and Equality to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in 2018.

The 2017 appropriation account for Vote 24 records gross expenditure of almost €423 million in the year, spread across five spending programmes. I have indicated those in the figure that is now on the screen. The programmes are organised in line with statements of strategic objectives. Note 3 of the appropriation account provides a breakdown of the programme spending under subheads that indicate the instruments used by the Department to achieve those objectives. On the receipts side, appropriations-in-aid of the Vote totalled just over €66 million in 2017. Almost three quarters of this related to a range of fees charged in respect of immigration registration, nationality and citizenship certification and visa issuance. The net expenditure on the Vote was approximately €22 million less than was provided for in the 2017 Estimate.

In my report on the appropriation account, I drew attention to a material level of non-compliance with EU and national procurement rules in respect of contracts operated by the Department in 2017. Further detail in this regard is disclosed by the Accounting Officer in the statement on internal financial control.