Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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595. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will, in respect of his Department's audit committee, provide details of its current membership; the date of appointment of each member; the fees paid to each member; if members of the committee are required to hold certain professional qualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4221/14]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Justice and Equality has had an Audit Committee in place since 2004. The role of the Audit Committee is to advise the Secretary General and the officials of the Department on the adequacy and effectiveness of the systems and internal financial controls operating within the Department. The Committee has 5 members, 4 are independent of the Department and 1 member is the Departments representative. The appointments are made for a 3 year period and for continuity purposes, some members may be reappointed for an additional term. The Committee members are not required to hold a qualification but they are selected for their broad range of senior management experience. The Department has ensured that there is at least one member with significant financial skills and experience. Mr. Duffy is a Chartered Accountant with significant experience in the public and private sectors. The Committee communicate regularly with the Secretary General. The payments are in compliance with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reforms guidelines. Any payments shown are gross amounts and are fully taxable.