Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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264. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide, in tabular form, the total amount spent in each year from 2011 to 2014 and in 2015 to date on staff subsistence payments and staff taxi payments; if his Department has been audited for tax compliance on these payments and other benefits in kind; if these processes have been revised in view of the Revenue Commissioners concerns over practises in other State bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23681/15]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The information requested by the Deputy in relation to subsistence claims by - and the refund of all taxi costs to - staff is set out in the table below. As regards staff taxi payments, benefit in kind would only arise in respect of journeys to, or from, the place of employment of an employee where these are on a regular basis and not in compliance with the other criteria set out by the Revenue Commissioners.

In addition, the Department has a contracted taxi service based in Dublin and the payments to that company in respect of usage of the service over the years in question are in the table below. An element of the cost relates to the administration cost invoiced. The taxi service is also used occasionally for conveying packages so not all of the costs are attributable to staff usage of the service.

The Department's Appropriation Accounts are subject to annual audit by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Department has not been audited for tax compliance on these payments or other benefits in kind by the Revenue Commissioners. The Department is vigilant in the conduct of its activities in these matters to ensure compliance with taxation legislation and Revenue guidelines.