The Comptroller and Auditor General, along with the Public Accounts Committee, should be granted the authority to audit taxpayer-funded NGOs and thoroughly examine how they are utilising public funds, a Fianna Fáil TD has claimed.
Speaking on The Finance Bill 2024 in the Dáil this week, John McGuinness TD said that “value for money should be the cornerstone of every action taken in government.”
“Where value for money is not present, the reasons must be rooted out – we have failed in that regard,” he said.
“A simple proposition of extending the powers of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee to examine all money that comes from the taxpayer and is spent by NGOs, agencies or Departments should be part and parcel of legislation.”
While McGuinness acknowledged that the Comptroller and Auditor General would not be able to “audit every cent,” he said it would be a “deterrent,” and “a statement from the Government to say that we care about the taxpayers and the businesses that pay tax, and we want to do something about it.”
“That is an area that has never been explored,” he said.
“It has never been reformed. I wonder why that is. I wonder whether any analysis was done on the amount of money that could have been saved over the past number of decades had that system been in place.
“I wonder why, politically, there is an objection or a stalling of any consideration of that. It is shocking.
“Any business looks at its incomings and outgoings, it takes risks or makes a loss but at least it tries to get value for money. The Government is not understanding the full potential of a well-supported enterprise sector.”