Committee of Public Accounts to examine 2021 accounts and reports with Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The meeting in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will be joined by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Seamus McCarthy, and officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, led by Graham Doyle, the Secretary General and Accounting Office to the Committee. Officials from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will also be in attendance. The Committee will examine:

Appropriation Account 2021 – Vote 34 (Housing, Local Government and Heritage);

Local Government Fund Account 2021;

Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2021:
Chapter 4: Re-allocation of voted funds;
Chapter 6: Central Government funding of local authorities;
Chapter 7 – The Housing Agency's revolving Acquisition Fund.

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

PAC Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Stanley said: “The Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage is responsible for housing, water services, local authorities and related services, and the supervision of elections on behalf of the State. Total gross expenditure in 2021 amounted to €5.1 billion, which included €2.8bn for housing, €1.4bn for water services and €720 million for local authorities.

“Areas of interest for the Committee include expenditure relating to the delivery of new housing, public-private partnerships, retrofitting schemes for energy efficient homes, the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme, the Rental Assistance Scheme (RAS), the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and emergency accommodation.

“Further areas for examination include funding from central government for local government, the subvention for Irish Water, An Bord Pleanála and the fine paid in 2020 to the European Commission arising from a judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in November 2019, which relates to Derrybrien Wind Farm in Co Galway.

“The Committee also has a role in ensuring that the Department has appropriate levels of oversight of the central government funds that local government receives and to this end would like to examine the Governance Framework for the local government sector.

“The Committee looks forward to discussing the accounts, reports, oversight and related matters with Mr Doyle and his 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.