Committee of Public Accounts to examine Department of Foreign Affairs’ 2020 Appropriation Accounts

The meeting at 1.30pm in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will be joined by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr Seamus McCarthy, and officials from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Specific areas of interest to the Committee include expenditure related to the Passport Office, consular activity, and leasing and ownership of buildings.

During the morning session, beginning at 9.30am, the Committee will consider correspondence and other business of the Committee.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Stanley said: “The Department of Foreign Affairs has responsibility for foreign policy advice and coordination, promotion of Ireland’s economic interests abroad, management of the country’s development aid programme and provision of passport and consular services for Irish citizens.

“It has responsibility for two Votes: Vote 27, International Co-operation, and Vote 28, Foreign Affairs and Trade. Vote 27, also known as Irish Aid, accounts for Ireland’s bilateral and multilateral humanitarian assistance, while Vote 28 provides for the general running of the Department, its consular services and its Embassies.

“In 2020, Irish Aid had expenditure of €548million, with the bulk of spending relating to humanitarian assistances programmes in Africa and the Middle East, including the occupied Palestinian territories, and funding for Irish NGOs and missionary programmes. Among the areas for examination by the Committee are the controls on spending on NGOs and other aid schemes, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Irish Aid’s ability to provide aid programmes and humanitarian assistance.

“Regarding spending on the Department’s activities, in 2020 its total expenditure was €255million. The Committee is interested in examining expenditure on Passport Services, including target times for processing applications for new passport and passport renewals, as well as the level of delays in processing applications, and the reasons for these delays.

“Other areas of interest to the Committee include the impact of Brexit on North-South and Anglo-Irish cooperation, the cost of upkeep and maintenance for the Department’s 35 State-owned properties abroad, and the value for money considerations of leasing of properties abroad as opposed to purchasing. The Committee looks forward to discussing these and related matters with the Department officials.”

The meeting in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

PAC is a standing committee of Dáil Éireann which focuses on ensuring public services are run efficiently and achieve value for money. Further information on the role and remit of the Committee can be found here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.