Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That concludes our consideration of the work programme.

Under AOB, which is the last item on the public agenda, I wish to raise a matter and then open it to the floor. It arises from our consideration last week of R1000 from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform concerning the format and content of the appropriation accounts of Government Departments and offices. We agreed to include this as an agenda item for today's meeting. This matter has arisen several times, including last week. It is an area that we need to try to improve. Members might also recall that, last November, we agreed to request that the Department include the committee in any consultation process involving proposed changes to the framework for accounting by central government agencies, rules around management of public funds and the publication of codes of practice for governance of public bodies. It is welcome that the Department has agreed to do so. We also included a number of potential additions to the information presented in the appropriation accounts, including legal costs and pay and staffing. The Department has made changes in respect of reporting on legal costs. They will come into effect this year for the 2021 appropriation accounts. This is a good move and is welcome, as is the fact that the Department has committed to considering the other suggested changes for the following year's appropriation accounts.

However, there is one other change that, in the interests of transparency and accountability, the committee should request that the Department act on for the 2021 accounts. It relates to pay, specifically the remuneration of Accounting Officers. It is not detailed in the appropriation accounts and, as noted in our letter to the Department, this is significantly out of step with the standard of disclosure expected of non-departmental State bodies under the code of practice for the governance of State bodies.

I will open the matter to the floor before requesting agreement that we write to the Department to request that this information, as well as the previous year's remuneration, be prioritised and included in the 2021 accounts. Members will recall that we went through a rigmarole trying to get information on the pay of Secretaries General and we only got vague answers or did not get answers at all. That is not satisfactory. There are now four separate grades of pay for Secretaries General. There used to be three. Exactly what is being paid out in this regard needs to be shown in the appropriation accounts when we receive them, which would normally be the following September. Does any member wish to comment?