Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 7 November 2019

Public Accounts Committee

2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms

9:00 am

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have one more question but I need to make the point that the Data Protection Commission was clear that there is a difference between findings and rulings. The Data Protection Commissioner makes rulings and has statutory powers. One of the points she made is that there is a growing awareness in some Departments about the role of the commissioner's office. It is not an advisory role, but has enforcement aspects too. I have one more question on the report. It relates to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. Paragraph 43 of the commissioner's report states:

The C&AG Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2015 noted that the Accounting Officer for DEASP was of the view "that while a business case had not been developed, the project has been coherently planned and implemented in conjunction with DPER and with the support of relevant decision makers and stakeholders".

The Chairman referred to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General earlier. The report then states that the commission was of the view that "the PSC was more piecemeal and less coherent than suggested". I want to get the witnesses' view on what follows because it came from them or the Department. It states:

The DPC notes DEASP’s objections to the DPC’s description in this regard, firstly on the basis that it represents a “collateral undermining of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s view on the PSC project”

What did the Department mean by that?

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