Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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796. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide in tabular form the total amount spent per annum in 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014 on staff subsistence payments and staff taxi payments; if his Department has been audited for tax compliance in respect of these payments and other benefits in kind; if these processes have been revised in view of concerns by the Revenue Commissioners over practices in other State bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25810/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Details of the expenditure incurred by my Department on travel and subsistence, including taxi fares, in respect of home travel since 2011 are set out in the following table.

The Deputy might wish to note that claims are only paid in respect of costs necessarily incurred in the performance of official duties and are in line with the relevant travel and subsistence circulars as issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and previously by the Department of Finance, particularly Circular 11/82 which sets out the detailed instructions governing the payment of travelling and subsistence allowances.

Expenditure in this regard is examined by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General as part of its annual audit of Departmental expenditure.