John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 203: To ask the Taoiseach if there is a dedicated auditing unit in his Department assessing and monitoring the day-to-day spend of his Department with particular reference to major projects; if so, the number of staff involved; if the staff have accountancy qualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26838/04]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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Specific responsibilities and authority for financial management within my Department are assigned to the finance officer and to the finance unit. The fundamental role of the finance unit is to provide central services to the Department relating to its financial management responsibilities. Therefore, the unit provides certain services for the rest of the Department in the following areas. These are completion of the Estimates process to forecast the financial resources required by the Department in future years; ensure compliance with the legal requirement to account for expenditure from the Vote (appropriation account); facilitate all audit inspections and queries; ensure speedy discharge of financial services, including compliance with prompt payment legislation; provision of accounts payable and accounts receivable services; effective monitoring of resources allocated to the Department; provision of appropriate financial information for management; ensure progress by the Department on financial management reform, including the requirements of the management information framework and the Mullarkey implementation group; co-ordinate the programme of expenditure reviews.

Staffing of the finance unit is as follows:

The assistant principal with responsibility for this unit is a qualified accountant.

There is also an internal audit unit within my Department, the primary role of which is to provide independent assurance to the accounting officer on the system of internal controls in place.

Staffing of the internal audit unit is as follows:

Give the modest size of my Department and the absence of responsibility for major projects, I regard these arrangements as satisfactory.