PAC chairman: There is no reason not to examine taxpayer funding to Áras

The Public Accounts Committee is to propose holding a special hearing to discuss taxpayer funding provided to Áras an Uachtaráin.

Senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of Public Works will be called before the PAC to answer questions on the funding that they provide to the Office of the President.

Fianna Fáil TD Seán Fleming is the Chairman of the PAC committee.

He says it is in the public interest to know what the money is being spent on.

"What happened during the summer is a journalist contacted me, couldn't get any information under the Freedom of Information and said can the Public Accounts get any and I said, of course we can," said Deputy Fleming.

"But since this is in the media in recent weeks, members of the public have emailed directly on this issue asking for details of expenditure.

"We have, at this stage, a number of requests from the public and media to examine this issue and there's no reason why we shouldn't do it."

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