Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have increased the number of staff available to the Comptroller and Auditor General and responded to a request for additional reporting staff in his organisation to deepen the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General and help him in the discharge of his functions. The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General has 199 whole-time equivalents planned for 2022; at the end of 2021, the figure was 171 whole-time equivalents. We have increased the staff available to that organisation in recognition of some of the points the Chairman has raised. The current budget of the department has gone up by just under €500,000. Included in this is a specific request for €300,000, which we received from that organisation to help it deepen its reporting capacity. They way in which we have looked to deal with the matter is by making more staff available to that department. It has gained the equivalent of 28 whole-time members of staff since the end of 2021.