asked the Minister for Finance the action, if any, he has taken to date, or proposes to take in relation to the various matters of serious financial concern that arise in the most recently published report of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Written Answers. - Comptroller and Auditor General's Report.
16.
Matters raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General in his annual report on the Appropriation Accounts are primarily of concern to the Departments or Offices involved and it is for them, in the first instance, to take any corrective action required. Any matters raised which relate specifically to my Department or the offices under my control are immediately followed up. In most cases any problems referred to will already have come to light in the course of the Comptroller and Auditor General's examination and any necessary corrective action will already have been taken.
My Department, in the context of its general responsibility for the control of public expenditure, takes full account of any matters raised in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report in its ongoing dealings with Departments. Where general problems come to light which require the issue of new or revised instructions my Department issues the necessary instructions to Departments.
The Comptroller and Auditor General's report will be examined by the Committee of Public Accounts and Accounting Officers will appear before the Committee to answer for their areas of responsibility. In due course my Department, in consultation with the Departments concerned, will produce a reply to the Committee's report. This interaction between the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Committee and my Department ensures that problem areas which are mentioned in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report are brought to a satisfactory conclusion.