Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

The Policing Authority was established on 1 January 2016 under the Garda Síochána (Policing Authority and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015. The primary role of the authority is to oversee the performance by An Garda Síochána of its functions relating to policing services. The authority comprises a chairperson and eight members, who are supported by a staff that numbered 36 whole-time equivalents at the end of 2020.

The Policing Authority functions as one of the central Government offices, funded directly by the Oireachtas through its own Vote. The chief executive, who is not a member of the authority, is responsible for the presentation of the annual cash-based appropriation account, which records the financial transactions associated with the authority’s activity. The 2020 appropriation account for Vote 41 recorded gross expenditure of €2.8 million. This was almost identical to the gross expenditure in 2019. Almost 75% of the expenditure was related to payment of salaries, wages and allowances, which totalled €2.1 million in 2020.

All of the Policing Authority’s expenditure is classified as administration expenditure, presented under standard subheads used across the Votes. At the end of the year, the amount of the budget provided that remained unspent was €615,000. This full amount was liable for surrender. I issued a clear audit opinion in relation to the appropriation account.