Vol. 446 No. 5
13 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment whether a member of the public can submit a case of alleged waste of public money by a local authority to the Local Government Auditor; whether the subsequent report can be made available for public inspection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [76/94]
It is open to any member of the public to make a formal objection to the inclusion or omission of any item from the accounts of a local authority during the course of the audit being conducted by a Local Government Auditor. Seven days' notice of the commencement of the audit is required by law to be given by advertisement in a newspaper circulating in the functional area of the authority.
Where a formal objection is made, the auditor is required to consider the matter raised and the decision must be conveyed to the person who raised the objection. In addition, the auditor must include the issues raised in the audit report on the accounts for the year in question. The report is sent to the local authority concerned; it is required to be circulated to each member of the local authority and a copy can be obtained by any person from the local authority.
