Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 18 October 2012

Public Accounts Committee

2011 Appropriation Accounts of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 36: Defence - Review of Allowances

11:45 am

Mr. Michael Howard:

The trouble is that a vouched expense may be described as an allowance. I know I am repeating myself but when this was being set up years ago, nobody foresaw the discussion or the issue of principle that it could turn into. The system operated for many years and nobody paid any attention to the labels.