Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 20 October 2022

Public Accounts Committee

2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding

9:30 am

Mr. David Moloney:

That is broadly correct. In 2011, the then Department of Finance and An Post signed an agreement covering the cost at a discounted rate of election communications for candidates in the 2011 general election at an agreed discount price. When the 2016 general election came along, An Post charged a higher price than had been agreed for the 2011 general election but that price had not been agreed with the Department of Finance. Therefore, I suppose, in fairness, a dispute arose as to what the appropriate level of charge should be.