Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

The first item on the list is the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board's financial statements for 2021. As members will recall, the board was before the committee last week so these accounts have been discussed but they were late for the list. They received a clear audit opinion, but, as members will remember, I drew attention to a settlement with the Revenue Commissioners of slightly less than €1 million in March 2022 in respect of underpayment of relevant contract tax and professional services withholding tax.

The second item is the National Tourism Development Authority's, or Fáilte Ireland's, financial statements for 2022. They received a qualified audit opinion. The accounts give a true and fair view, except in relation to two matters. The first of those is expected future pension funding. Unlike those of most other grant-funded State bodies, these financial statements do not recognise a deferred retirement benefit funding asset that relates to some of its pension liabilities. This is on the basis that the authority considers it has not been provided with a statutory or other guarantee for the future funding of this scheme. In its view, it has a statutory guarantee for another part of the pension liability but not for this part, which is estimated to have a value of €136 billion. Separately, the authority recognises a State grant debt of €12.9 million in respect of funding surrendered in 2019 at the request of the Department to reduce the level of cash held by the authority. The view the authority takes is that it surrendered the €12.9 million on the basis that it would be returned if required, but there is no formal commitment to that. In my view, it is more in the nature of a contingent asset.

Otherwise, I am satisfied that the accounts give a true and fair view.

No. 3 concerns Crawford Art Gallery Cork Limited. For 2022, that received a clear audit opinion.

No. 4 concerns Bord Iascaigh Mhara. For 2022, it received a clear audit opinion.

No. 5 concerns the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority. For 2022, it received a clear audit opinion. However, I draw attention to the results of a European Commission administrative inquiry that identified significant shortcomings in the weighing and reporting of pelagic fish landings and the lack of controls or enforcement over catches of bluefin tuna.

No. 6 concerns the Economic and Social Research Institute. It received a clear audit opinion. However, I draw attention to material non-compliance with procurement rules.

No. 7 concerns the Marine Institute. For 2022, it received a clear audit opinion.

No. 8 concerns the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, also known as Caranua. For 2022, it received a clear audit opinion.