Department of Finance lacks economic expertise, TDs told

THE top civil servant in the Department of Finance has admitted the key ministry lacks sufficient in-house expertise to cope with all the issues arising out of the economic crisis.

Secretary-general of the Department of Finance, Kevin Cardiff, told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee yesterday that it would have been preferable if it had been less reliant on outside expertise in recent times.

Mr Cardiff also accepted many of its economic forecasts had been “dreadful”.