Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Following the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the fund which were published in 2017, my Department published a review of the dormant accounts fund in July. It set out 15 recommendations surrounding the ongoing management and administration of the fund which were aimed at ensuring it was more actively managed into the future. The recommendations sought to improve information gathering, simplify the operation of the fund and ensure funding not used by Departments was decommitted back to the fund for use in other projects, something which has been a problem until now. I am focused on ensuring the recommendations will be implemented to make the best use of the funds available. An interdepartmental group has been established to ensure the recommendations will be implemented. It is worth noting that the allocations made within the action plans have increased significantly in recent years, from €26.3 million in 2014 to €28.5 million in 2016, €40.4 million in 2017 and €39.8 million in 2018. I am new to the Department, but I will be looking at the issue of the dormant accounts fund and how it can be dealt with in the future.

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