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Opening Statement, Martin Fraser, Secretary General, Department Of

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Opening Statement, Martin Fraser, Secretary General, Department Of 1 Opening statement by Mr Martin Fraser, Secretary General, Department of the Taoiseach, to the Committee of Public Accounts Consideration of the 2017 Appropriation Account’s (Vote 1 & Vote 2) 7th February 2019 Introduction Good morning Chairman, Committee members. I am attending today, at the request of the Committee, to assist in its examination of the Department of the Taoiseach’s 2017 Appropriation Account and the President’s Establishment 2017 Appropriation Account. Accompanying me are my colleagues: Denis Breen, Head of Corporate Affairs; and Geraldine Butler, Finance Officer. The Committee will have received, in advance of this meeting, briefing documents detailing the 2017 expenditure and outturn of the Department of the Taoiseach and the President’s Establishment as per the 2017 Appropriation Accounts and other supporting documentation. In this statement I propose to: - Briefly outline the role and structure of the Department of the Taoiseach; - Give an overview of the Department’s 2017 Appropriation Account; and - Provide an overview of the President’s Establishment 2017 Appropriation Account. Department of the Taoiseach - role and structure The Department of the Taoiseach’s work centres on supporting the work of the Taoiseach and the Government both at home and abroad. 2 The core functions of the Department of the Taoiseach are: Delivering the Executive functions of the Taoiseach and the Government Providing the Government Secretariat Supporting the Taoiseach in carrying out his duties as Head of Government, including in relation to the Oireachtas, Constitutional issues, Protocol, the European Council, the North/South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council Working with the Office of the President and with the Oireachtas Engaging with the formulation and implementation of government policy, mainly through the system of Cabinet Committees, Senior Officials’ Groups, the Programme for Government Office and the Parliamentary Liaison Unit the Office of the Taoiseach (as well as support for the Tánaiste) Support for Independent Ministers in Government the Office of the Government Chief Whip (who also has responsibility for the Central Statistics Office) Support for the Ministers of State assigned to the Department (with responsibility for Defence; for European Affairs and for Data Protection) Government Information Service Providing briefing and advice to the Taoiseach on the full range of domestic policy issues and on international affairs (including through the work of the National Economic and Social Council) Supporting the Taoiseach and Government in the formulation and implementation of Ireland’s EU, Northern Ireland and international policies, including coordination across the whole of Government Delivering support services through Corporate Affairs Division (HR, Finance, ICT and other services) During 2017 changes in the structure of the Department took place following the appointment of a new Taoiseach and Government. These included new Ministers of State, responsibility for Brexit coordination moving to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the establishment of Cabinet Committees. 3 The Department supported the Taoiseach's intensive engagement and negotiations with EU leaders on a wide range of issues, including Brexit. Through the Cabinet Committee structure the Department engaged with other Government Departments on a wide range of national priority issues, as directed by the Taoiseach, such as housing and homelessness, climate change, health and justice reform, infrastructure planning and investment, gender equality and disability, economic planning, and rural development. In addition to the existing responsibilities, the Department undertook additional preparatory work during 2017 in the areas of Pensions Reform, Ireland's bioeconomy, the National Planning Framework, the National Development Plan, Ireland’s Global Footprint 2025 and the establishment of the North East Inner City Programme Implementation Board. Press and protocol support services continued to support the large programme of events including the state funeral of Liam Cosgrave and visits by Heads of State and senior EU officials. The Department was centrally involved in supporting the Taoiseach and the National Emergency Coordination Group in its response to Storm Ophelia in October 2017. Across all areas of the Department’s responsibility, considerable time and effort also went into answering parliamentary questions, preparing material for use in the Oireachtas, processing Freedom of Information requests, answering letters and queries from the public, organising events, preparing speeches, and responding to media queries. 2017 Appropriation Account for the Department of the Taoiseach The outturn for the Department of the Taoiseach in 2017 was €27.58 million against an Estimate provision of €36.74 million. This lower than anticipated expenditure resulted in €9.16 million liable to surrender back to the Exchequer at end December 2017. The significant variations in expenditure relate primarily to the Programme subheads. 4 Subhead A4 - Tribunal of Inquiry was €3.5 million less than Estimate provision due to the number of legal cost claims settled in 2017 being lower than expected. The Department has no control over third party legal costs incurred by Tribunals of Inquiry and it is impossible to predict the timing of settlement of third party costs or the level of costs falling due at any particular time. Subhead A5 - Commissions of Investigation was €2.4 million under Estimate. The Commissions are independent in their investigation and their expenditure levels depends on the needs and requirements of their investigations. The Administration Pay (A1) subhead was also under Estimate due to a significant turnover of staff and delays in filling posts at some grades during the year. Just over €15.3 million was expended on pay and administration in 2017, with the balance expended on programme expenditure (A3 – A8) as listed in Note 3 of the Appropriation Account. The Department’s 2017 Appropriation Account was audited by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. In that report the C&AG noted that, in his opinion, the Account properly presented the receipts and expenditure for the Department for the year ended 31 December 2017 and the account has been prepared in the form prescribed by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The C&AG also stated that he had no matters to report with regard to the statement provided by the Accounting Officer on internal financial control. President’s Establishment - Vote 1 My role as Accounting Officer for Vote 1 is very different to that of Accounting Officers for other Votes. Generally, the Secretary General is the Accounting Officer for the Vote(s) and also the administrative Head of the Department and as such can answer for the actions of the Department. 5 Although I am the Accounting Officer for Vote 1, I have no executive or operational responsibility for the Office of the President. This is entirely appropriate given the constitutional position of the President. As the Committee is also aware, Article 13.8.1 of the Constitution states: The President shall not be answerable to either House of the Oireachtas or to any court for the exercise and performance of the powers and functions of his office or for any act done or purporting to be done by him in the exercise and performance of these powers and functions. As Accounting Officer, I obtain assurances that the Office operates properly, through my direct contact with the Secretary General to the President and from the audit performed by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The President’s Establishment 2017 outturn was €3.6 million against an Estimate provision of €3.9 million. This lower than anticipated expenditure resulted in €294,236 liable to surrender back to the Exchequer at end December 2017. The Account for the President’s Establishment was audited by the Office of the C&AG. In his report the C&AG noted that, in his opinion, the Account properly presented the receipts and expenditure of the President’s Establishment for the year ended 31 December 2017 and the audit evidence obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for that opinion. Conclusion That concludes my statement to the Committee. I thank you for your attention and I am happy to respond to any questions that the Committee may have particularly in regard to the 2017 Appropriation Account of the Department of the Taoiseach. ENDS .
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