Sir, - It was heartening to see Ms Breda Lilly's letter (November 5th) concerning the work of the Public Accounts Committee.
Ms Lilly asks: "When the bank task is over, how about the committee looking more closely at the output from the Comptroller and Auditor General's Office?" I can assure Ms Lilly that our 12 members have already commenced our scrutiny of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report for 1997, which was tabled, as required by law, on September 30th 1998. This report is systematically considered by the committee on a Department by Department basis commencing in mid-October each year, so that the committee concludes its considerations before the following July.
The committee also considers the value for money reports which are conducted on selected areas by the Comptroller and Auditor General, on an ongoing basis. In addition, we examine the financial statements of vocational educational committees, the universities and other third-level education institutions, the health boards and a host of non-commercial semi-State bodies.
The committee's proceedings are covered by the media, which are represented at every public session, and in September of this year this was extended to television coverage. I am conscious that when a major issue arises the media interest will heighten public awareness of the work of the Public Accounts Committee. However, the work of the committee is ongoing and thorough but not always so vividly in the public eye as has been the case recently. - Yours, etc., Jim Mitchell, TD, Chairman,
Committee of Public Accounts, Leinster House, Dublin 2.