Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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1379. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the public relations companies or agencies the services of which his department used for information campaigns since 1 January 2017; and the costs incurred to date in 2017. [46074/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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My Department has not incurred any expenditure on external public relations since 1 January 2017.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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1380. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the steps he has taken to ensure that grant aided organisations are spending their moneys appropriately in view of the revelations regarding a charity (details supplied) in 2016; if his attention has been drawn to concerns in relation to organisations funded by his department; if so, the action he has taken; if his department has issued new procedures regarding the use of credit cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46091/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides grants to the Local Authorities in relation to running costs for Civil Defence and to the Irish Red Cross. Grants are paid in line with public financial procedures. Funding for Civil Defence operations is shared on a 70/30 basis between my Department and local authorities by way of an annual grant to each authority. The grant covers all allowable administration and running costs for Civil Defence in each local authority.

Civil Defence operations at local level are carried out under the control of the relevant local authority. The annual grant to each local authority is issued following a detailed examination of certified financial returns on the previous year’s expenditure. This includes confirmation by the local authority that a control environment is in place to ensure accountability for all income, expenditure, donations or gifts in relation to the operation of Civil Defence. Separately, the external auditor for Local Government includes the Civil Defence grants as part of its annual audit agenda.

My Department makes an annual Grant-in-Aid payment of €869,000 to the Irish Red Cross Irish Red Cross, which includes Ireland’s contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The annual grant is paid in quarterly instalments and each year my Department receives a report from the Society providing full details of how the previous year’s grant was utilised and details of it is to be used in the current year. The annual consolidated financial statements of the Society, which are published on its website, are subject to audit by an independent external firm of auditors whose report is also published. There is a requirement for the Irish Red Cross to identify the Department of Defence as a grant making agency in their financial statements. The payment of the Department’s annual grant to the Society is kept under review on an ongoing basis.

With regard to procedures on the use of credit cards, it is a matter for the individual grant-aided organisations to ensure that appropriate controls and procedures are in place.