Public Accounts Committee (Ireland)

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) (formally the Committee of Public Accounts) (Irish: An Coiste um Chuntais Phoiblí) is a standing Committee of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish Parliament. It oversees government expenditures to ensure they are effective and honest. It is responsible for examining reports of Comptroller and Auditor General on Departmental expenditure and certain other accounts. It also considers the Comptroller and Auditor General's reports of economy, efficiency, effectiveness evaluation systems, procedures and practices. The PAC has a key role to play in ensuring accountability and transparency in the way Government agencies allocate, spend and manage their finances and in guaranteeing that the taxpayer receives value for money for every euro spent.[1] By the nature of its role as the public spending watchdog, the Committee of Public Accounts is one of the most powerful Oireachtas Committees.[2]

Overview

It is established under Standing Order 163 of Dáil Éireann which requires it to be set up as a standing committee after each general election. The Committee is constituted so as to be impartially representative of the Dáil and consists of thirteen members. A member of the Government or a Minister of State can not be a member of the PAC. It is normally chaired by a member of the opposition.

Membership

As of 4 March 2018, the members of the committee are as follows:[3] [4]

Member Party Constituency
Brian Stanley (Chair) Sinn Féin Laois-Offaly
Alan Kelly (Vice-Chair) Labour Party Tipperary
Bobby Aylward Fianna Fáil Carlow-Kilkenny
Peter Burke Fine Gael Longford-Westmeath
Shane Cassells Fianna Fáil Meath West
Catherine Connolly Independents 4 Change Galway West
David Cullinane Sinn Féin Waterford
Alan Farrell Fine Gael Dublin Fingal
Marc MacSharry Fianna Fáil Sligo-Leitrim
Josepha Madigan Fine Gael Dublin Rathdown
Jonathan O'Brien Sinn Féin Cork North-Central
Noel Rock Fine Gael Dublin North-West
Catherine Murphy Social Democrats* Kildare North

Chairmen of the Public Accounts Committee

It is customary for a member of the largest opposition party to chair the committee.

Year Chairman Party
2002-2005 Michael Noonan Fine Gael
2005-2011 Bernard Allen Fine Gael
2011–2016 John McGuinness Fianna Fáil
2016-present Seán Fleming Fianna Fáil

See also
  • Public Accounts Committee

References
  1. "Role of the Public Accounts Committee". Oireachtas website. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  2. "Committee of Public Accounts". Oiteachtas website. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  3. "Public Accounts Committee - Membership". Oireachtas website. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  4. "Mary Lou McDonald TD makes Sinn Féin Dáil appointments". Sinn Féin website. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
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