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1 The Role and Responsibilities of Accounting Officers A Memorandum for Accounting Officers Government Accounting Section Department of Finance December 2003
3 3 THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ACCOUNTING OFFICERS Introduction Dáil Éireann votes funds every year for Government Departments and Offices to spend on the provision of public services. After the end of the year, Departments and Offices in receipt of the Votes prepare an account of their expenditure and receipts, called the Appropriation Account. This Account must be signed by the Accounting Officer, usually the Secretary General or Head of the Department or Office in question, who is responsible for having the Account prepared and presented for audit to the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Accounting Officer may then be called to appear before the Committee of Public Accounts of the Dáil to give evidence about the Account, and in relation to any other account that the Department or Office is required to prepare. A similar system operates in relation to non-voted expenditure, that is, expenditure (e.g. on servicing the national debt) which is paid from the Central Fund under law without annual reference to the Dáil. This expenditure is accounted for in the annual Finance Accounts, which are prepared by the Department of Finance, audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General and presented to both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Accounting Officer of the Department of Finance may be called to give evidence to the Committee of Public Accounts in relation to the Finance Accounts. The Accounting Officer thus has a key role in the system of accountability for public moneys. The Department of Finance, in consultation with Departments and Offices generally, has prepared this Memorandum on the role and responsibilities of Accounting Officers in order to help Accounting Officers understand their duties and to provide a source of reference for them. The Preparation of this Memorandum was recommended in the Report of the Working Group on the Accountability of Secretaries General and Accounting Officers (the Mullarkey Report), which was endorsed by the Government and published in January As recommended by the Mullarkey Report, the Memorandum draws, where relevant, on the contents and clarifications contained in that Report. It also draws on the Department of Finance publication Public Financial Procedures. The Memorandum can be only a guide, of course: it does not purport to be a comprehensive description of the matters that it covers. The Memorandum is in three parts. Part 1 outlines the system of accountability for public moneys and describes the key elements in it. Part 2 sets out the duties and responsibilities of Accounting Officers in that system. Part 3 describes the systems and functions that should be in place to support Accounting Officers in carrying out their duties. Appendices show a diagram of how public moneys are received, disbursed and accounted for; outline the Constitutional provisions relevant to the system of accountability for public moneys; list the statutes relevant to it; give the terms of reference of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee; contain the outline of the Accounting Officer s role set out in Public Financial Procedures; contain a one-page summary of Accounting Officers responsibilities, taken from the Mullarkey Report; and summarise the recommendations of that Report. Government Accounting Section Department of Finance December 2003
5 5 CONTENTS Introduction page 3 Part 1. The System of Accountability for Public Moneys 1.1 Introduction to Part 1 page Two Categories of Government Expenditure: Voted and Non-Voted page The System of Providing and Accounting for Public Moneys page Diagram of the System page Historical Background page The Key elements in the System of Accountability page Key Articles in the Constitution page The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) page The Comptroller & Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993: the ` Functions of the C&AG page Basis of the C&AG s Opinion on the Appropriation Accounts page The C&AG s Certificate with the Appropriation Accounts page The C&AG s Report on the Appropriation Accounts page C&AG Audits of Departmental Accounts other than the Appropriation Accounts and the Finance Accounts page Other C&AG Audits page C&AG and Value-for-Money Reports page C&AG not to Express an Opinion on Policy page Absolute Privilege of C&AG page C&AG Audit Standards page How C&AG Auditors Work page Audit Queries page The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) page How the PAC operates page Powers of the PAC page PAC to Refrain from Enquiring into Policy page Absolute Privilege of the PAC page PAC may make suggestions to C&AG page PAC Reports to Dáil page Role of the Department of Finance page Minister for Finance Appoints Accounting Officer page Department of Finance Attendance at PAC page Minute of Minister for Finance to the PAC page Public Financial Procedures page 16 Part 2. The Duties and Responsibilities of Accounting Officers 2.1 Introduction to Part 2 page Origins of the Accounting Officer Role: Duty of Preparing page 17 Appropriation Accounts 2.3 The 1993 Act: Accounting Officer defined, and the Duties stated page Principles and Conventions governing the Accounting Officer Role page Responsibilities of Accounting Officers as set out in Public Financial Procedures page Requirement to provide Statement on Internal Financial Controls page The 1993 Act: Duties of Accounting Officers before the PAC page Accounting Officer Appears before the PAC in own Right page 19
6 6 2.9 Accounting Officer not to Express Opinion on Policy page Extent of privilege of Accounting Officer page The Terms Regularity and Propriety page Value for Money page Examples of Types of Issues identified in C&AG Reports page Liability of Accounting Officer to Answer before PAC in relation to other C&AG Reports page General Principle in Relation to Bodies under the Aegis of the Department or Office page Code of Practice for State Bodies page Role of Accounting Officers in relation to Code of Practice page Accountability of Chief Executive Officers page Setting down Roles and Accountability of CEOs page Personal Responsibility of Accounting Officer page Need to ensure that Adequate Management Systems are in Place page Difference of Opinion between Accounting Officer and Minister page Question of Personal Liability of Accounting Officer page One-page Summary of Responsibilities of Accounting Officers page 23 Part 3. Internal systems to assist Accounting Officers in carrying out their duties 3.1 Introduction to Part 3 page Internal Control page Internal Financial Control page Evaluation of Internal Controls recommended by Mullarkey Report page Internal Control & the C&AG page Internal Audit page Scope of Internal Audit page Internal Audit as an aid to Accountability page Responsibilities of Accounting Officer in relation to Internal Audit page Traditional Role of Internal Audit page VFM Role of Internal Audit since 1993 Act page Internal Audit and Risk Management page Internal Audit and Computer Systems page Mullarkey Report Recommendations on Internal Audit page Audit Committees page Mullarkey Report Recommendations on Audit Committees page Risk Management page Common Types of Risk page Importance of Risk Management page Mullarkey Report Recommendations on Risk Management page Conclusion page 30
7 7 LIST OF APPENDICES 1. Diagram of how public moneys are received, disbursed and accounted for. 2. Outline of Constitutional provisions relevant to the system of accountability for public moneys. 3. List of statutes relevant to the system of accountability for public moneys. 4. Dáil Standing Order 156: terms of reference of the Committee of Public Accounts. 5. Outline of the responsibilities of Accounting Officers, taken from Public Financial Procedures. 6. Summary of the responsibilities of Accounting Officers, taken from the Mullarkey Report. 7. Summary of the recommendations of the Mullarkey Report.
9 9 Part 1: The System of Accountability for Public Moneys 1.1 Introduction to Part 1 Part 1 briefly outlines the system for voting, spending and accounting for public moneys and for auditing the accounts of Government Departments and Offices, examining these accounts and reporting to Dáil Éireann about them. It then traces the history of the system of accountability, points to important Constitutional principles and describes the role of each of the key elements in the system (other than the Accounting Officer, whose role is described in Part 2). The System and its Key Elements 1.2 Two Categories of Government Expenditure Government expenditure falls into two categories, voted expenditure and non-voted expenditure. Voted expenditure refers to the ordinary services of Government Departments both capital and noncapital, the money for which is voted by the Dáil on an annual basis. These services are technically known as the Supply services and the money granted by the Dáil for each service is technically known as the Supply grant or simply Supply. Expenditure is provided for under Votes, one or more covering the functions of each Department or Office. Non-voted expenditure represents expenditure which the Oireachtas has declared by law is to be paid from the Central Fund without annual reference to the Dáil and itself consists of two sorts: Central Fund Charges are a permanent charge on the State revenues and represent those services which are charged on and payable out of the Central Fund by continuing authority of statutes and are not therefore subject to annual or periodical review. The biggest item is the service of the national debt (i.e. interest and sinking fund payments on the debt, expenses of issues of debt, NTMA administrative expenses etc). Other items include Ireland s contribution to the EU budget, the annual payments to the National Pensions Reserve Fund, interim financing of certain EU payments and the salaries, pensions and allowances of the President, the judiciary and the C&AG, and the expenses of Returning Officers. In these cases the relevant legislation does not impose a limit on the aggregate amount which may be issued out of the Central Fund in respect of the service. Other Central Fund Issues are generally repayable advances to State bodies in respect of State development projects making up part of what is know as the Public Capital Programme, and are made from the Central Fund under specific statutes. The legislation normally imposes an upper limit on the advances that can be made. This is usually equivalent to the issues which would be made over a three-to-five year period, and gives the Oireachtas the opportunity of reviewing the project or the body concerned at reasonably frequent intervals. 1.3 The System of Providing and Accounting for Public Moneys The system for providing and accounting for public moneys is briefly as follows. On the proposal of the Government, Dáil Éireann votes funds - the Estimates - every year for Government Departments and Offices and at the end of the year gives statutory effect to the Estimates by means of the Appropriation Act. Departments and Offices spend these funds on the provision of public services, whether directly or by funding or partfunding other bodies. In doing so, they must take care to act with regularity and
10 10 propriety and with due regard to economy and efficiency. After the end of the year they must prepare an account of their expenditure and receipts (any moneys received as Appropriations-in-Aid during the year), known as the Appropriation Account. The Accounting Officer of each Department or Office, who is appointed by the Minister of Finance and is usually the Secretary General or Head of the Department or Office, is responsible for having the Appropriation Account for each Vote for which he or she is responsible prepared and presented for audit to the Comptroller and Auditor General (the C&AG) by 1 April of the year following that to which it relates. The C&AG then audits each Appropriation Account, testing whether the receipts and expenditure recorded are supported by documentation, whether the expenditure was applied for the purposes intended by the Oireachtas and whether the transactions recorded conform with the authority for them. The C&AG then lays the Account before the Dáil, together with his certificate that it properly records the receipts and expenditure of the Department or Office concerned (if he considers that the Account does in fact do so: he may qualify his certificate) and with such report as he considers appropriate on foot of his audit of the Account. The C&AG is precluded by law from expressing an opinion about policy in his report. The Committee of Public Accounts of the Dáil (the Public Accounts Committee, or PAC) then examines the Appropriation Account and the C&AG s report on it. In doing so, the PAC has power to require the Accounting Officer to attend its hearings and give evidence about the Account. In giving such evidence, the Accounting Officer must not express an opinion about policy, and the PAC must refrain from enquiring into policy. Following its examination, the PAC presents a report to the Dáil. The Dáil may either take note of the PAC s report or may make it the subject of a debate. A similar system operates in relation to non-voted expenditure. Such expenditure is accounted for in the annual Finance Accounts, which are prepared by the Department of Finance, audited by the C&AG and presented to both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Accounting Officer of the Department of Finance may be called to give evidence before the PAC in relation to the Finance Accounts. It is a matter for the Government to respond to any recommendations made by the PAC. On behalf of the Government, the Department of Finance prepares a formal reply to a report of the PAC in consultation with the Department or Office concerned. This reply is known as the Minute of the Minister of Finance. Thus the process comes full circle: the Dáil votes the moneys used by Departments and Offices or, in the case of non-voted expenditure, the Oireachtas provides for it by law, and the Dáil or Oireachtas receives, via the Accounting Officer, the C&AG and the Dáil Committee established for that purpose, an account of how they were spent. 1.4 Diagram of the System A diagram at Appendix 1 outlines how moneys are received into the Central Fund and Departmental Vote accounts, disbursed from them and accounted for, and the accounts audited and presented to the Dáil or Oireachtas. 1.5 Historical Background The Irish system of accountability for public moneys has its origins in the reforms of the UK financial administration undertaken in the 1860s. This saw the establishment of the Committee of Public Accounts in 1861 to scrutinise public expenditure. The Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866 (the 1866 Act) for the first time required all Departments to produce annual accounts, known as Appropriation Accounts. The 1866 Act also established the position of Comptroller
11 11 and Auditor General (C&AG) and introduced a framework of accountability in which senior officials were designated Accounting Officers by the UK Treasury and were charged with the responsibility of preparing the Appropriation Accounts. The 1866 Act remains the statutory basis for the preparation of the Appropriation Accounts and for the appointment of Accounting Officers (although the term Accounting Officer is not used in it). However, the Irish system is now of course grounded in the Constitution of Ireland and in Irish legislation. 1.6 The Key Elements in the System of Accountability The key elements in the system of accountability for public moneys are the Constitution; the relevant legislation (the main points of which will be outlined as the other elements are being described); the Accounting Officer (whose role will be dealt with in Part 2); the C&AG; the PAC; the Dáil; and the Department of Finance. (It should be noted that in a few public bodies, for example the Courts Service, the Chief Executive has been appointed by the Minister for Finance as the Accounting Officer for the organisation. The Chief Executive in such instances generally has an additional line of accountability, viz to the Board of Directors of the body). Appendices 2 and 3 respectively describe the relevant Constitutional provisions and list the Statutes relevant to the system of accountability. The Constitution 1.7 Key Articles in the Constitution The key articles in the Constitution dealing with the provision of public funds are as follows: Article 11 requires that subject to such exception as may be provided by law, all revenues of the State shall form one fund [the Central Fund] and shall be appropriated [i.e. assigned for specific purposes] in the manner and subject to the charges and liabilities determined and imposed by law. The right of initiative in relation to public finance is vested in the Government by Article 17, which stipulates that the Dáil may not pass any vote or resolution, and no law may be enacted for the appropriation of public moneys, unless the purpose of the appropriation has been recommended to the Dáil by a message from the Government signed by the Taoiseach. Article 21 provides that all "Money Bills" must be initiated in Dáil Éireann; briefly, these are defined in Article 22 as Bills dealing only with taxation, charges on public moneys, the appropriation of public moneys etc. It follows from these Articles that public moneys may be appropriated only with the authority of Dáil Éireann. Article 28 requires the Government to prepare Estimates of the receipts and expenditure of the State for each financial year and present them to Dáil Éireann for consideration. Finally, as will be seen below, the position of C&AG is provided for in Article 33 of the Constitution. The Comptroller & Auditor General 1.8 The Comptroller and Auditor General Audits and examinations carried out by the Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG) assist the Dáil in its examination of the
12 12 administration of public moneys. The position of C&AG is provided for in Article 33 of the Constitution, which states inter alia that there shall be a Comptroller and Auditor General to control on behalf of the State all disbursements and to audit all accounts of moneys administered by or under the authority of the Oireachtas and that the C&AG shall report to Dáil Éireann at stated periods as determined by law. 1.9 The Comptroller & Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993: the Functions of the C&AG The most significant legislation in relation to the C&AG is the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993 (the 1993 Act). This Act consolidated and updated existing legislation in relation to the C&AG. Under it, the main function of the C&AG in relation to Government Departments and Offices is to audit the Appropriation Accounts. In auditing each Account, the C&AG is to carry out such audit tests as he considers appropriate to satisfy himself as to whether the receipts and expenditure recorded in the Account are supported by substantiating documentation; whether the expenditure has been applied for the purposes intended by the Oireachtas; and whether the transactions recorded in the Account conform with the authority under which they purport to have been carried out. As already mentioned, the C&AG also audits the Finance Accounts, of non-voted expenditure, prepared by the Department of Finance Basis of the C&AG s Opinion on the Appropriation Accounts The C&AG performs his audit in a way which takes account of the special considerations which attach to State bodies in relation to their management and operation. An audit includes examination, on a test basis, of evidence relevant to the amounts, disclosures and regularity of financial transactions included in the Appropriation Account and an assessment of whether the accounting provisions of Public Financial Procedures have been complied with. The audit is conducted in order to provide sufficient evidence to give reasonable assurance that the Appropriation Accounts are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or other irregularity or error, and that in all material respects the expenditure and receipts have been applied for the purposes intended by Dáil Éireann and conform to the authorities which govern them. In forming this opinion the C&AG evaluates the overall adequacy of the presentation of the information in the Appropriation Accounts The C&AG s Certificate with the Appropriation Accounts On completion of the audit of each Appropriation Account, the C&AG attaches a certificate to the Account stating whether, in his opinion, the Account properly presents the receipts and expenditure of the Department or Office concerned and refers to any material case in which the Department or Office failed to apply expenditure for the purposes intended by the Oireachtas, or carried out transactions that did not conform to the authority under which they purported to have been carried out The C&AG s Report on the Appropriation Accounts Under the 1993 Act, the C&AG must each year prepare a report on the Appropriation Accounts, which with the Accounts and his certificates is laid before the Dáil and considered by the PAC on behalf of the Dáil. Under the Act, the report is to cover such matters arising from his audit of the Appropriation Accounts as the C&AG considers appropriate; it is also to cover such matters as he considers appropriate arising from his examination of the internal accounting controls operated by Departments and Offices in order to ensure the regularity of their financial transactions, the correctness of their payments and receipts, the reliability and completeness of their accounting records and the safeguarding of the assets owned or controlled by them.
13 C&AG Audits of Departmental Accounts other than the Appropriation Accounts and the Finance Accounts Apart from the Appropriation Accounts and the Finance Accounts, the C&AG audits a number of other accounts prepared by Departments and Offices. The others include Departmental stock and store accounts; the accounts of revenue collection; commercial accounts of Departments; accounts of funds under the control of Ministers or Departments; and the accounts of the transactions in the State of the FEOGA Fund Other C&AG Audits The C&AG also audits the accounts of Health Boards, Vocational Education Committees, non-commercial state bodies, third level educational institutions and other bodies specified in legislation. (In general, the C&AG does not audit commercial State bodies.) The C&AG may also audit the accounts of other bodies in receipt of State funds, by agreement with the body concerned and with the consent of the Minister for Finance C&AG and Value-for-Money Reports, Inspections and Special Reports The 1993 Act also gave the C&AG: (i) power to carry out value-for-money (VFM) examinations in regard to economy and efficiency in the use of resources and the systems used to evaluate effectiveness. This power applies in respect of all bodies audited by the C&AG (except bodies that by agreement, rather than under law, are audited by the C&AG). Under this statutory mandate the C&AG carries out wide-ranging examinations on specific programmes, and publishes the results of each by way of a separate report; (ii) powers of inspection in relation to port companies, harbour companies and harbour authorities and bodies in receipt of 50% or more of their gross income from public funds. The C&AG may, if he considers it appropriate to do so, prepare special reports in relation to inspections that he has carried out: (iii) power to prepare special reports in relation to any general matters arising from audits, inspections or examinations carried out by him C&AG not to Express an Opinion on Policy Under the 1993 Act, in any report of his under any Act, the C&AG shall not question, or express an opinion on, the merits of policies or of policy objectives 1.17 Absolute Privilege of C&AG Section 12 of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Special Provisions) Act, 1998, provides that utterances made by the C&AG, or an officer of the C&AG, for the purpose of the performance of his or her functions, shall be absolutely privileged and such utterances and documents, or records, in any form prepared by the C&AG or an officer of the C&AG for the purpose of such performance shall be absolutely privileged wherever and however published C&AG Audit Standards C&AG audits are conducted in accordance with standards, principally Statements of Auditing Standards (SAS), published by the Auditing Practices Board. (The Auditing Practices Board is responsible for developing and issuing standards for auditors in the UK and Ireland). In applying the standards, guidance is taken from a Practice Note covering central government audit in Ireland which was issued by the APB following consultation with the relevant authorities in Ireland, including the C&AG and the Department of Finance How C&AG Auditors Work The C&AG examines the Appropriation Accounts from two aspects. First, there is a financial audit which, like a commercial audit, tests
14 14 the accuracy of the records and the reliability of the systems underlying them and checks that the accounts are in agreement with the records, and therefore fairly represent the outturn. Secondly, there is a regularity audit to ensure that expenditure accords with the intention of the Dáil, that expenditure has been authorised by the Department of Finance and that the provisions of the relevant statutes, regulations etc. have been complied with Audit Queries If during the examination of a Department s or Office s accounts etc. the C&AG considers that there is prima facie evidence of matters which in his view may give rise to mention in his annual report, the C&AG may communicate the facts in writing to the responsible Accounting Officer with a request for information or explanation. Depending on the Accounting Officer s reply, or in the absence of a reply, the C&AG may qualify the certificate on the Appropriation Account and report the matter to the Dáil. If the matter giving rise to the audit query is to be included in a C&AG Report, the Accounting Officer is asked in advance to confirm the accuracy of the facts in the Report. A similar procedure operates for audit queries issued to all other bodies audited by the C&AG and for any reports arising therefrom. The Public Accounts Committee and the Dáil 1.21 The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) The Appropriation Accounts, and the Finance Accounts, when the C&AG has finished and reported on his audit of them, are examined by the Committee of Public Accounts of Dáil Éireann (the Public Accounts Committee, or PAC). The PAC is established under the Standing Orders of the Dáil to examine and report to Dáil Éireann on: (a) the Appropriation Accounts, and on such other accounts as they see fit (other than accounts in the Second Schedule of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993) that are audited by the C&AG and presented to the Dáil, together with any reports on them by the C&AG [NOTE: the Second Schedule to the Act lists commercial state Bodies which, together with their subsidiaries, are outside the remit of the C&AG.] (b) the C&AG's reports on his examinations of economy, efficiency, effectiveness evaluation systems, procedures and practices; and (c) other reports carried out by the C&AG under the 1993 Act. The PAC s terms of reference - Standing Order are set out in full at Appendix 4. Historically the key function of the PAC has been to examine the accounts for regularity and propriety of expenditure, which are key elements of the C&AG s certification audit. The role was formally expanded following the enactment of the 1993 Act, which extended the scope of the PAC s remit to encompass the C&AG s examinations of economy and efficiency as well as of the systems, practices and procedures to evaluate effectiveness How the PAC operates The PAC generally operates on a yearly cycle following on from its receipt each year at end-september/early October of the Appropriation Accounts and the C&AG s annual report to the Dáil on them. It calls Accounting Officers one by one through the year to appear before it and give evidence about their Appropriation Accounts - and the Finance Accounts, in the case of the Accounting Officer of the Department of Finance - and, as the PAC sees fit, about any other Accounts which their Department or Office is required to prepare. For each hearing
15 15 the C&AG prepares a short brief for the Committee on the main issues arising from the Account under examination. The C&AG attends each hearing of the Committee as a witness and can be called upon and frequently is to give evidence orally as the hearing proceeds Powers of the PAC Under Dáil Standing Orders, the Committee has the power to send for persons, papers and records as well as the power to take written and oral evidence PAC to Refrain from Enquiring into Policy The matters on which the Accounting Officer must give evidence before the PAC will be dealt with in Part 2 of this Memorandum, in the description of the Accounting Officer s role. However, it should be noted that the PAC s terms of reference specifically state that it shall refrain from enquiring into the merits of policy or policies of the Government or a member of the Government or the merits of the objectives of such policies. (Similarly, the C&AG and Accounting Officers are prohibited from expressing opinions about policy: see earlier, and Part 2) Absolute Privilege of the PAC Like all Oireachtas Committees, the PAC enjoys absolute privilege. In addition, section 11 of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Special Provisions) Act 1998, provides that The utterances, made otherwise than at meetings of the Committee, of members of the Committee for the purpose of the performance of their functions as such members shall be absolutely privileged and those utterances and documents, or records, in any form prepared by those members for the purpose of such performance, shall be absolutely privileged wherever and however published. Section 11 further provides that The utterances, made otherwise than at meetings of the Committee, of advisers, officials and agents of the Committee for the purpose of the performance of their functions as such advisers, officials and agents shall be absolutely privileged and those utterances and documents, or records, in any form prepared by those persons for the purpose of such performance shall be absolutely privileged wherever and however published. Section 11 applies both to the PAC itself and to any subcommittee of the PAC PAC may make suggestions to C&AG Under its terms of reference, the PAC may, without prejudice to the C&AG s independence in determining his Office s work or how it is done, make suggestions to the C&AG about his work PAC Report to Dáil As with other Committees, the main function of the PAC is to examine reports and witnesses and to report to the Dáil: it does not have executive powers. Follow-up action on publication of the Committee s report rests with the Dáil, which may take note of, or if it considers it necessary, debate the Report; and with the Government, to take appropriate action. While the Government is not obliged, in the last resort, to accept the PAC's recommendations, they do carry a great deal of weight.
16 16 The Department of Finance 1.28 Role of the Department of Finance The Department of Finance is responsible under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (as amended) for, inter alia, the administration and business generally of the public finances of [Ireland] and all powers, duties and functions connected with the same. The Department has wideranging responsibilities to control, supervise and advise Departments in financial matters, which it does by way of official minutes and circulars to Departments. Department of Finance sanction for expenditure is a statutory requirement under the 1924 Act Minister for Finance Appoints Accounting Officers It is the Minister for Finance who, under section 22 of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866, appoints as Accounting Officer for a Vote the person who is to be responsible for the preparation of the Appropriation Account(s) and for giving evidence before the PAC as required under the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act The issuing of instructions and guidance to Accounting Officers is part of the executive function of the Department of Finance Department of Finance Attendance at PAC Officers from the Department of Finance attend meetings of the PAC when Accounting Officers from other Departments and Offices are giving evidence and may be questioned by the Committee Minute of Minister for Finance to the PAC In addition, it is the Department of Finance which, in consultation with the relevant Department(s), responds on behalf of the Government to recommendations and issues raised by the PAC in its reports on the Appropriation Accounts. It also responds to value-for-money reports by the C&AG. The Department s response is by way of a formal minute known as the Minute of the Minister for Finance to the Committee. As well as being sent to the Committee, such Minutes are sent, as Department of Finance circulars, to all Accounting Officers Public Financial Procedures Finally, it is the Department of Finance which has the responsibility of compiling and updating as necessary the publication Public Financial Procedures. This publication sets out the principles of Government accounting as well as the more important ways in which they are applied in the dayto-day operations of Government Department and Offices: it also outlines the essential features of financial management. Accounting Officers as well as the relevant officials in their Departments and Offices should be thoroughly familiar with Public Financial Procedures.
17 17 Part 2: Duties and Responsibilities of Accounting Officers 2.1 Introduction to Part 2 Part 2 traces the origins of the Accounting Officer s role and describes the statutory provisions, and the principles and conventions, relating to it. It then sets out the duties of the Accounting Officer in giving evidence before the PAC, and defines terms used in that connection; discusses matters, in addition to their Appropriation Accounts and other accounts for their own area, on which Accounting Officers may be required to give evidence; and considers their role vis-a vis State bodies and their CEOs. Finally, it points to particular features of the Accounting Officer s role. Origins, Statutory Provisions and Principles and Conventions 2.2 Origins of the Accounting Officer Role: Duty of Preparing Appropriation Accounts The role of the Accounting Officer has its origins in the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act, 1866 (the 1866 Act). Section 22 of that Act provides for the preparation of Appropriation Accounts by Departments. The term Department, when used in connection with the duty on Departments of preparing the Appropriation Accounts, was to be construed as including any public officer or officers to whom that duty shall be assigned by the [UK] Treasury. The term Accounting Officer does not appear in the 1866 legislation: the UK Treasury first proposed the term to the Westminster PAC in The first statement of the duties of Accounting Officers was in a UK Treasury Minute of 1872, which stressed the responsibility of an Accounting Officer for the safeguarding of public funds and for the regularity and propriety of expenditure of these funds. 2.3 The 1993 Act: Accounting Officer defined, and the Duties stated The Comptroller & Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993 defined the term Accounting Officer in Irish law for the first time. The Accounting Officer is defined in the Act as the Officer referred to in Section 22 of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act, 1866 to whom the duty of preparing the Appropriation Accounts of a Department is assigned. The statutory duties of Accounting Officers in giving evidence to the PAC are set out in Section 19 of the 1993 Act (see para 2.7 below). The Act broadened the duties from their earlier focus on regularity and propriety to include economy and efficiency in the use of resources and the systems, practices and procedures used to evaluate effectiveness. Even before the Act, the C&AG had drawn attention to economy and efficiency as part of the financial audit and would look behind certain transactions, and Accounting Officers had had to deal with these matters in giving evidence to the PAC. Since the introduction of the Act, the Office of the C&AG has been carrying out value-for-money (VFM) examinations which result in stand-alone reports dealing with economy and efficiency as well as with the systems, procedures and practices employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Department s or Office s operations. 2.4 Principles and Conventions governing the Accounting Officer Role Apart from the statutory provisions, Accounting Officers operate within established principles and conventions that are derived mainly from the Constitution and from the institutional and financial relationships that have been developed between the Oireachtas and the Executive over the years. The reports and recommendations of the PAC are one of the main sources of these principles. The principles and conventions
18 18 are set out in the guide Public Financial Procedures published by the Department of Finance. 2.5 Responsibilities of Accounting Officers as set out in Public Financial Procedures An outline of the responsibilities of Accounting Officers is set out in Public Financial Procedures, a copy of which is given to each Accounting Officer on appointment (the main text relating to Accounting officers is Section A5, a copy of which is at Appendix 5 of this Memorandum). In addition to the preparation of the Appropriation Accounts, the main responsibilities of Accounting Officers as laid down in Public Financial Procedures are as follows: The safeguarding of public funds and property under his or her control. The regularity and propriety of all the transactions in each Appropriation Account bearing his or her signature Ensuring that all relevant financial considerations are taken into account and, where necessary, brought to the attention of the Minister where they concern the preparation and implementation of policy proposals relating to expenditure or income for which he or she is Accounting Officer. Economy and efficiency in the administration of the Department. This includes ensuring that there are adequate financial management systems in place to support the proper administration of the Department in an economic and efficient way. The adequacy of arrangements within the Department/Office to ensure the correctness of all payments under his/her control and the prompt and efficient recovery and bringing to account of all receipts connected with the Vote, or with any fund for which the Department is responsible. Ensuring that Department of Finance sanction for expenditure has been obtained and for the maintenance of a central record of both delegated and specific sanctions. Responsibilities for internal audit, including regularly reviewing the internal audit function to ensure there is the desired quality of assurance on the adequacy, reliability and efficiency of the Department s internal control system. Responsibilities in respect of Grants-in-Aid to outside agencies, particularly in regard to the conditions of the grant, the submission of accounts and being satisfied that the accounting systems and organisational arrangements of the grantee are adequate to ensure the proper administration of the money. Ensuring that there is a clear framework for control (including financial reporting) and accountability for public funds in bodies operating under the aegis of the Department. 2.6 Requirement to provide Statement on Internal Financial Controls with Appropriation Accounts On foot of a recommendation in the Report of the Working Group on the Accountability of Secretaries General and Accounting Officers (the
19 19 Mullarkey Report), Accounting Officers are also required to include, with the Appropriation Accounts for their Department/Office in respect of 2003 and following years, a statement on their organisation s systems of internal financial controls. Accounting Officers and the PAC 2.7 The 1993 Act: Duties of Accounting Officers before the PAC Under section 19 of the 1993 Act, Accounting Officers must, when required to do so, give evidence to the PAC about (a) the regularity and propriety of the transactions recorded in any account subject to C&AG audit which the Accounting Officer or the Department or Office concerned is required by or under statute to prepare, (b) the economy and efficiency of the Department or Office in the use of its resources, (c) the systems, procedures and practices employed by the Department or Office to evaluate the effectiveness of its operations, and (d) any matter affecting the Department or Office referred to in a special report of the C&AG under Section 11(2) of the Act [essentially, a special report in relation to any C&AG inspection, examination or audit] or in any other report of the C&AG (in so far as it relates to a matter specified in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) above) that is laid before Dáil Éireann. [see further, para 2.14 below]. 2.8 Accounting Officer Appears before PAC in Own Right In appearing before the PAC the Accounting Officer appears in his or her own right, rather than as a representative of the Minister. The duties of the Accounting Officer before the PAC are thus outside the normal system of civil service delegation where, in general, civil servants act in the name of the Minister. Similarly, the duty of signing the Appropriation Accounts, and any other accounts which the Department or Office is required to prepare, and of appearing before the PAC to give evidence about them, is one for the Accounting Officer to perform in person and is not to be delegated. 2.9 Accounting Officer not to Express Opinion on Policy Section 19 of the 1993 Act provides that when giving evidence to the PAC, an Accounting Officer shall not question or express an opinion on the merits of any policy of the Government or of a Minister of the Government, or on the merits of the objectives of such a policy. Similarly, as already noted, the C&AG must not in his reports, question or express an opinion on the merits of policies or of policy objectives, and under its terms of reference the PAC is to refrain from enquiring into the merits of policy or the merits of the objectives of policy Extent of Privilege of Accounting Officer before PAC Section 11 of the Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Compellability, Privileges and Immunities of Witnesses) Act, 1997 provides that a person whose evidence has been, is being or is to be given before a committee [of the Oireachtas], or who produces or sends a document to a committee, pursuant to a direction or who is directed to give evidence or produce a document to a committee or to attend before a committee and there to give evidence or produce a document shall be entitled to the
20 20 same privileges and immunities as if the person were a witness before the High Court. However where a person who is giving evidence to a committee in relation to a particular matter is directed to cease giving such evidence, the person shall be entitled only to qualified privilege in relation to defamation in respect of any such evidence as aforesaid given after the giving of the direction unless and until the committee withdraws the direction The Terms Regularity and Propriety Turning to the terms used in Section 19, regularity and propriety are standards against which expenditure and receipts are judged in order to establish whether they accord with the intentions of the Oireachtas. The concept of regularity reflects the concern that public money should be used only for those purposes approved by the Dáil. The checks for regularity are set out in Section 3 of the 1993 Act: the C&AG must satisfy himself as to whether the amounts expended have been applied by the Department or Office for the purposes for which the appropriation made by the Oireachtas, was intended, and as to whether the transactions recorded in the account conform with the authority under which they purport to have been carried out. As to propriety, an Auditing Practices Board Practice Note on the Audit of Central Government Financial Statements in the Republic of Ireland, prepared with the support of the Office of the C&AG, defines propriety as concerned with the way in which public business is conducted, including any conventions agreed with Dáil Éireann (and in particular the PAC), and any guidance issued on governance and ethics. Whereas regularity is concerned with compliance with appropriate authorities, propriety goes wider than this and is concerned more with standards of conduct, behavior and corporate governance. It is concerned with fairness and integrity and would include such matters as the avoidance of personal profit from public business, even-handedness in the appointment of staff, open competition in the award of contracts and the avoidance of waste and extravagance Value for Money In addition to regularity and propriety, the Accounting Officer must answer to the PAC for value for money in the terms specified in the 1993 Act. Value for Money (VFM) encompasses economy that is, providing suitable resources for a task at the lowest cost having regard to quality -and efficiency - which relates the cost of resources to the outputs achieved. VFM also encompasses the systems, procedures and practices used by Departments and Offices for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of their operations. VFM issues can be raised by the Committee when considering the C&AG s report on the Appropriation Accounts or they can arise from consideration by the Committee of a VFM Report by the C&AG about the Department or Office concerned Examples of Types of Issues identified in C&AG Reports In appearing before the PAC the Accounting Officer has to give evidence on issues that the C&AG has identified in his reports on the Accounts. Historically, C&AG reports have covered a wide range of issues, for example: Instances where financial procedures have not been complied with Cases where amounts granted by the Dáil have been exceeded Internal control weaknesses and their implications Expenditure which has not been sanctioned by the Department of Finance Instances of fraud, mismanagement, waste or uneconomic expenditure.