In profile: Public Accounts Committee

The Committee of Public Accounts is a standing Dáil committee that scrutinises how departments and certain public bodies manage and spend public money.

Working closely with the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), it examines audited annual accounts and reports to ensure transparency, accountability, and value for taxpayers’ money. The C&AG audits around 287 sets of public accounts, excluding commercial semi-state bodies and local authorities. The committee also reviews the C&AG’s annual and special reports, including value-for-money examinations and issues affecting multiple public bodies.

Operating under Dáil Standing Order 226, the committee focuses strictly on how public funds are used, not on government policy. It cannot intervene in individual cases, legal matters, allegations of criminality, or issues involving local authorities, which fall under different oversight bodies.