Appropriation Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-17
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Jack Chambers (FF), Dublin West

I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh. My understanding is that when auditing the secret service Vote, the Comptroller and Auditor General does not examine it in detail or comment on it for the Oireachtas. Instead, his office departs from the usual certification regarding the correctness of accounts and simply certifies that the amount shown in the account is supported by respective certification by the responsible Ministers. That is accepted as part of the wider discharging of responsibilities. The statement of internal financial control is signed by the Secretary General in my Department, who is the Accounting Officer for this particular Vote. That reflects the process and practice that have existed for a long time.
As I said, my Department has a very confined role in relation to the expenditure of the Vote. It extends only as far as agreeing to the annual Estimate and then the respective spending authorities certify and ensure it is processed in line with established procedures. That is the backdrop. There is obviously wider custom of practice as regards why this is the case. It is for any Oireachtas committee to question or probe that, and I respect that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:29+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-17