Mr. William Beausang:

The Deputy is correct. The Comptroller and Auditor General or one of his officials wrote to the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in November about how, within the existing framework, we could improve reporting in the appropriation account. The office of the Comptroller and Auditor General recommended a number of changes to the appropriation account that could be undertaken in the short-term and medium-term issues. Arising from that, the Secretary General of my Department wrote back proposing the establishment of a working group composed of the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Office of Financial Management and Shared Services and other Departments to move on those weaknesses in the appropriation accounts which the Deputy highlighted, which were highlighted by the Comptroller and Auditor General and which are reflected in a recent periodic report of the Committee on Public Accounts.