Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 26 October 2017

Public Accounts Committee

Report of Comptroller and Auditor General 2016
Chapter 19 - Management and Oversight of Grants to Health Agencies

9:00 am

Mr. Tony O'Brien:

First, on the annual financial statements received for 2015, we received 100% in regard to funded agencies. That is one of the improvements that has occurred. As to how one would divide resources between internal audit and management, internal auditing is kind of a post-event practice. One is finding out what has not happened or what has happened that should not have happened.

There must be a balance between the resources we put there, and if I had them I would put more resources there, and the resources at the front end of the relationship which are designed to manage not just financial compliance but also the quality of services, the interests of the clients and so forth. That is part of the area we are focusing on both by resourcing the community health organisations to develop and deepen that relationship on the one hand and through the compliance unit - the Deputy is shaking her head but I will finish - to help a large number of voluntary people involved in voluntary governance to do their thing better.