Committee of Public Accounts to examine 2021 Appropriation Accounts of Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

The meeting at 9.30am will be joined by officials from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General and officials from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media led by the Secretary General, Ms Katherine Licken, who is the Accounting Officer and is accountable to the Committee of Public Accounts. Officials from the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform will also be in attendance.

The Committee will also examine the Comptroller and Auditor General Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2021: Chapter 4 - Re-allocation of voted funding.

During the afternoon session, beginning at 1.30pm, the Committee will consider the minutes of recent meetings, correspondence and other business of the Committee.

PAC Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Stanley said: “The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media had gross expenditure of €1.1 billion in 2021 across its five areas of responsibility which cover tourism, arts and culture, Gaeltacht, sports and recreation services, and broadcasting.

“Areas of interest to the Committee including spending on sports and recreation services in 2021, including €165m on Sport Ireland which was some €25m more than its original allocation. Given the significant expenditure that is given to sporting bodies through Sport Ireland, the Committee is particularly interested in hearing from the Department regarding its supervisory role and whether it believes governance arrangements and performance outturns of these bodies are satisfactory.

“Members also wish to examine expenditure on bids to attract major sporting events to Ireland, including the 2027 Ryder Cup in golf and the joint bid involving the FAI, the IFA in the North and their English, Scottish and Welsh counterparts to host the Euro 2028 soccer championship.

“Other areas the Committee wishes to examine include funding of culture and arts bodies, and spending on cultural infrastructure and the refurbishment of the National Gallery; spending on the Gaeltacht and Irish language strategy; and in the broadcasting sector, departmental oversight of RTÉ, updates on the RTÉ remuneration review and classification of contractors, and RTÉ performance commitments. The Committee looks forward to discussing these and related matters with Ms Licken and her colleagues.”

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.