Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 25 September 2018
Public Accounts Committee
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
10:00 am
Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Okay, we do not know. That goes to the root of the issue in this interaction. Moneys are being spent on the President's Establishment that do not come within the remit of the supposed Accounting Officer but cumulatively the cost is very big. As Deputy Bobby Aylward said, they give a proper and true reflection of the cost of the Office of the President. Perhaps I might ask the Comptroller and Auditor General about this in the light of his role in dealing with all of these Accounting Officers. Is it the case that they are coming up with it themselves? Are they saying they anticipate additional expenditure in these areas? If there is to be some big event in a particular year and a Department has to allocate expenditure for it, I am sure the Office of the President has to alert the Department concerned to the need for additional expenditure, expenditure which does not come within the remit of the office but which it thinks the Department needs to put aside to cater for the event. Does Mr. McCarthy understand the question?