PAC Chairman says C&AG Report shines a light on wastage of taxpayers' money

In welcoming the C&AG's publication of his 2016 report today, the Chairman of the PAC drew attention to a number of concerns arising from it and said these will form the basis of the Committee's work in the coming months.
Deputy Fleming said: “We will be developing an intensive work programme to examine and address the matters highlighted in the report. The C&AG draws attention to poor use of taxpayers’ money and we will read it with the care and consideration it deserves. It is our intention to call a number of Accounting Officers to account in respect of many issues raised in the report."

"The Committee will be engaging with the Revenue Commissioners on a number of matters. We are very concerned that 37% of all corporation tax is paid by just 10 companies and that 13 of the top 100 companies paid less than 1% in corporation tax. We are also deeply concerned that tax debt appears to be on the increase after a downward trend in the last five years. And we will also want to talk to the newly established independent Tax Appeals Commission, a key part of the Revenue collecting infrastructure, about why it is not compliant with its corporate governance obligations."
Deputy Fleming continued: "The Committee drew attention during the year to governance issues in HSE funded Section 38 and 39 agencies. These agencies received €3.78 billion of taxpayer's money in 2016. We welcome the C&AG's chapter on this which points to an alarming number of governance issues across these agencies including non-compliance with procurement rules and public sector pay policies. It remains apparent that the HSE's monitoring and oversight of the monies given to these agencies is seriously deficient."

"The Committee will be meeting with the Department of Justice and Equality on its management of ICT projects and its wasteful expenditure of almost €4 million on a lease for a property which appears never to have been used. I am deeply concerned that the lack of effective planning in the public sector results time and time again in such wastage."
"While the Committee appreciates the efficiencies that can be achieved through shared services across the public sector, it is disturbing to learn that the management of €4.6 million in salary overpayments by the National Shared Services Office appears to be inadequate. The Committee is also shocked to discover that little more than half of  social welfare overpayments of €100-120 million per year are ever recovered. We will want to speak to the Department of Social Protection about what is being done to reduce overpayments and the weaknesses in its recovery systems."

"Other matters the Committee will want to examine are the management of public private partnerships, the disbursement of dormant account funds, oversight of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme and the cost to the taxpayer of cost overruns in relation to Galway's Art House Cinema due once again to poor project management."

Finally, Deputy Fleming remarked, "It also appears that the Committee's attention will be returning to the Garda College in Templemore. We examined a number of matters in our own report in relation to the College published in July 2017. However, the C&AG has drawn attention to poor value in the management of ancillary services and land at the College. We will be keen to follow up on this."