Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform
Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
2:15 pm
Deputy Brendan Howln:
Everybody asks about this Vote. It is simply a provision that is made. It used to be held in the Department of Finance but now it is held in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. On occasion I get warrants from either the Minister for Justice and Equality or the Minister for Defence for the sanctioning of payments for purposes to be approved of by the Minister for Justice and Equality or the Minister for Defence in each case. I do not have the detail of how the money is expended. The normal thing is that we do not speak about these things. However, a previous Minister for Justice indicated that it was for the use of the Garda in intelligence work.