Bill aims to broaden scope of State accounts body to monitor public spending

Brian Stanley said that the bill is aimed at ensuring that where the Government “outsources” programmes to the private sector that those organisations are “held accountable”. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Sinn Féin has launched prospective legislation aimed at increasing the powers of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to investigate the spending of public funds by broadening the scope of its remit.

The new bill, titled the Comptroller and Auditor General Bill 2021, would see both the committee and the C&AG, the State’s accountant, empowered to investigate bodies where State funding is significant but comprises less than 50% of the receiving body’s income.