Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 10 October 2019

Public Accounts Committee

Business of Committee

9:00 am

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will list consultancy costs on our work programme. I do not know precisely how we will do it, but we will put it down as an item on our work programme.

The next item on the agenda is financial statements. Since our last meeting, only one set of financial statements has been laid before the Oireachtas. That relates to Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh, NUI Galway. It got a clear audited opinion except that attention was drawn to non-compliant procurement of €4.45 million and the recognition of a deferred pension funding asset - a standard for the university. We have a standard procedure in place without having to specifically state it. Every time something comes up here regarding non-compliant procurement, this committee writes to the organisation seeking a full explanation, notwithstanding that the organisation in question will have information in its statements of internal control in its annual report. We are saying that when organisations put this information in their governance report and it is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General, that is not the end of matter. The Committee of Public Accounts is watching non-compliant procurement and will write to the board of the university, or as the case may be, to reinforce at board level that this practice cannot continue. That process of our direct involvement in this might help and give impetus to boards to ensure the matter is dealt with more firmly and swiftly in their organisations in future.

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