Departmental Staff Expenses

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2014

Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Questions (796)

Niall Collins

Question:

796. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide, in tabular form, the total amount spent per annum from 2011 to 2013, inclusive, 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]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

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.

Year	Cost	Portion of cost spent on taxi usage
2011	€23,878	€1,485
2012	€47,573	€6,028
2013	€55,217	€10,317
2014 to date	€20,693	€2,895

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.