Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General 2011

[PaddyJoe]

..was published today.
Haven't had a chance to have a look yet but I"m sure there a cure for insomnia in there somewhere.
http://www.audgen.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp...eport_2011.htm

[PaddyJoe]

Spending on the Queen's visit by the Dept of the Taoiseach:

Urgency
13.10 Due to the short notice of State visits in May 2011, the levels of security and confidentiality involved, and the importance of public safety, a number of bodies considered it was not possible to tender for certain services.
�� an Garda Síochána awarded 22 contracts with a total value of €2.3 million for accommodation, catering, equipment and traffic management related to the visits
�� the Office of Public Works entered into four contracts with a total value of €900,000 for the provision of electrical, mechanical and building works in the press centre in Dublin Castle prior to the visits
�� the Department of the Taoiseach engaged a company at a cost of €559,000 to provide event direction and services.

[Dr. FIVE]

3rd level heads were fairly roasted today at the PAC but gave as good as they got for the most part, WIT and all that

[DCon]

One would think that the DDDA would have a policy on such things

A policy needs to be prepared and committed to writing, on the level of expenditure allowed on hotels,
meals, flights etc.

http://www.audgen.gov.ie/documents/v...ts/77_DDDA.pdf

[C. Flower]

I've been looking at the chapter on the PPPs - various problems there - waste from abandoned contracts, after tens of millions spent on just gearing up a project.

Also, tolling contracts for road works that guaranteed profits to a level that aren't sustained by the real user numbers. Consequently we are spending 10s of millions topping up the profits.

PPPS are a form of borrowing, not shown as such in the Exchequer figures.

[ang]

Irish National Pension Swindled by State Street, Audit Reveals -

(September 27, 2012)- The Irish National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF) was overcharged millions of euros after its transition manager claimed to be an agent, but acted as a "riskless principal," the country's Comptroller and Auditor General has said.

According to the report, markups of an estimated €2.65 million--5.5 times the contractual fee--were applied to transition fees paid by the pension fund. This amount was reimbursed by State Street.

http://ai-cio.com/channel/REGULATION...t_Reveals.html

[ang]

Seán Fleming FF TD gives his analysis on the C&AG report - REPORT SHOWS HOWLIN’S FAILURE TO CONTROL WASTEFUL SPENDING –

Fianna Fáil member of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee Seán Fleming TD has said the new Department of Public Expenditure and Reform “has failed to achieve any significant results after its first year in operation.”

The findings of The Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2011 published today by the Comptroller and Auditor General shows that the new department, presided over by Minister Brendan Howlin “may as well not have existed as it did not control public spending or achieve any real reform.”

Deputy Fleming said: “I am outlining just a few of the many shortcomings highlighted in the C&AG’s report on public expenditure:

1. Various government departments delivered harsh and unnecessary cuts in 2011 while at the same time they handed back unspent money to the department of finance instead of providing desperately needed frontline services to the public. €701m was handed back to the Department of Finance by other departments and it is shocking to think that despite the need for funds for services that six departments returned funds as follows: (detailed on page 177 C&AG report)

Agriculture €255m

Social Protection €110m

Health €63m

Education €31m

Jobs & Enterprise €38m

Environment €26m

Children €12m



2. Government departments awarded contracts without competition in 555 cases with a total contract expenditure of €266m. This represents a 237% increase on the 2010 figure of €79m. (detailed on page 182, C&AG report)

3. The Broadcasting Authority is severely criticised in Chapter 20 of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Report. 61% of all applications for funding for TV and Radio projects in 2011 were rejected. The BAI needs to have a more transparent application process to assist applicants in dealing with the organisation and therefore reduce unnecessary costs on the BAI and the applicants themselves. (detailed on page 264, C&AG report)

4. There has been a major increase in the percentage of properties, inspected by local authorities, that did not meet the required standards - up to 37% in 2011 compared with 25% in 2010. These are properties where landlords registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board and the inspections were to be carried out on behalf of the PRTB by local authorities. The percentage of properties inspected fell to 6% in 2011 down from 8% in 2010. Clearly where standards have been found to be in decline there is a need for a greater level of inspection, not less. It must be noted that the registration fees are paying for these inspections which are not being carried out. (detailed on page 329, C&AG report)

Deputy Fleming concluded: “There are clear failings highlighted in the C&AG’s report today in the management of scarce government resources provided by taxpayers. It is not acceptable at a time when the public is expected to endure further attacks on frontline services while Ministers continue to preside over waste and inefficient use of taxpayers’ money.”

http://www.fiannafail.ie/news/entry/...ewm7mE.twitter

[ang]

Another gem from the report - Empty premises: Over €2m spent on lease -

MORE THAN €2 million has been spent by the Department of Justice and Equality on leasing a building on Dublin’s Wolfe Tone Street – which it has never been able to use.

In April 2012 the department was informed that ownership of the building was in the hands of receivers, who required confirmation that the department would make the payments as detailed in the lease

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...324534774.html

[Dr. FIVE]

just as well Howlin isn't planning more PPP eh?

[Baron von Biffo]

Seán Fleming FF TD gives his analysis on the C&AG report - REPORT SHOWS HOWLIN’S FAILURE TO CONTROL WASTEFUL SPENDING –


http://www.fiannafail.ie/news/entry/...ewm7mE.twitter

It's not true to say that contracts awarded without tender are waste.

There is a need for openness in the way government does business but we need to acknowledge that it comes at a price. Tendering for every contract is not the most efficient way to do things.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Tendering is unlikely to resolve waste problems in government contracts. Besides, the usual caper is for civil and public servants to accept a low tender and then not notice the clauses in the contract which ends up costing the public purse money in the form of huge and unreasonable costs such as the infamous £50 upwards to change a lightbulb in a hospital as happened in the UK.

'Back-ending' a tender for a public contract is notorious.