A FINE Gael Senator has expressed concern that the Department of Health employs just one accountant while the Department of the Environment has 47.
Pascal Donohoe said he was surprised to learn that some of the biggest-spending Government departments employed the lowest number of accountants.
“It is of great concern that so few accountants are in place in the very Government departments which spend so much of taxpayers’ money – education, health and social and family affairs,” he said.
Fine Gael last week put down a series of parliamentary questions for written answer asking each Minister how many accountants were employed in every department.
Minister for Health Mary Harney responded: “There is currently one person employed in my department at the grade of professional accountant.”
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin said her department employed four chartered accountants. “There are other staff in the department who have accountancy qualifications but are not employed in that capacity,” she said.
Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe said his department had two chartered accountants and one chartered management accountant.
“Specialist accounting support is provided to assist the department in areas such as the finance unit, financial returns from schools and third-level institutions and adhering to government accounting procedures.”
Of the 47 accountants employed by the Department of the Environment, 40 are part of the local government audit service.
Mr Donohoe said the eight accountants employed by the Departments of Health, Social and Family Affairs and Education would this year be supervising the spending of €29 billion.
“In 2009 these departments are due to spend over €29 billion of taxpayers’ money. Spending of this magnitude must always be scrutinised carefully. Businesses that spend a fraction of this money have more accountants than these departments,” he said.
“Obtaining good value for taxpayers’ money has never been more important.”
