‘Irish Examiner’ journalist strikes blow for taxpayer

The public will soon have access to thousands of financial statements and accounts of public bodies which previously could only be accessed in limited circumstances, following a recommendation by an Irish Examiner journalist.

The Dáil Public Accounts Committee heard yesterday that the House of the Oireachtas has agreed to a suggestion by the Irish Examiner’s investigative correspondent, Conor Ryan, to improve access to the accounts of bodies funded by the taxpayer.

Mr Ryan pointed out that all financial statements, accounts, and auditors’ reports submitted by public bodies laid before the Oireachtas are currently only available on an internal Oireachtas website. Such documents are not available to the public at the moment unless they are also submitted to the Companies Registration Office.