Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Mr. McCarthy. Before I call Deputy Catherine Murphy, I must express disappointment with the opening statement. We have received a 20-page report from the Comptroller and Auditor General detailing the underspend under the Dormant Accounts Fund area by area, including charts that show commitments, including one where 95% of the money had not been drawn down. Despite this, Mr. McCarthy did not refer to any figure and the document does not feature a single euro symbol. It refers only to reviews and what the Comptroller and Auditor General said.

As to the reasons for the underspend, pages 1 and 2 of the briefing note circulated to the committee do not make reference to them; instead they set out the historical background to the issue. Page 3 addresses the recommendations made in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General which members have read and which has been available since September 2017, while page 4 refers to a draft proposed report on the review. Again, there is no reference to figures or money, although I note there is a reference to money towards the end of page 5 when a figure of €40 million is mentioned. The committee had hoped to be presented with more details on underspending, given that this was the essence of the report. We will now go through that issue.