Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 18 October 2018
Public Accounts Committee
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Vote 11 - Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 2 - Collection of Pension Contributions due to the Exchequer
Chapter 3 - Control of Funding for Voted Public Services
Chapter 5 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Vote 11 - Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 95: Financial Reporting in the Public Sector
Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 99: Public Sector Financial Reporting for 2015
Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 100: Public Sector Financial Reporting for 2016
9:00 am
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
The factors involved have been highly publicised. I have the greatest of respect for civil servants and the public sector and I am asking questions within that framework. When we looked at this issue, it jumped out that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform had to give permission for the lease. It seems it was a formality, but there are guidelines, or even stronger language, in circular about the making of a robust business case that looks at all of the options. It seems to the members of the committee that all of the options were not looked at, including purchase or others. Perhaps the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform should look at how it gave the thumbs up to a lease that involved incurring extra expenditure without the making of a robust business case.