Full coverage: Audit

As Ireland prepares to preside over EU budget talks, an Irishman is already scrutinising the €2tn proposals on the table. ECA President Tony Murphy discusses changes in auditing and why more Irish people should work in European institutions.

There is no indication of any serious wrongdoing, but auditors said poor management of procurement, invoice, and other project documents still raises serious risks around reputation, public trust, legal and regulatory compliance, and protection from any potential legal challenges.

Audits released to The Currency reveal concerns over a pattern of non-compliance with clean-desk policies and “inadequate” data breach management at the agency which handles sensitive payments and pensions details for thousands of public servants, including ministers.

The longstanding use of retrospective purchase orders raises questions around internal governance and value for money at the broadcaster and is currently under close watch by its audit and risk committee.

The National Shared Services Office system is currently under DPER review. An audit completed this summer and released to The Currency shows red flags were raised with its pension system as early as 2015.

Risk registers and internal governance audits are rarely, if ever, released to the public, with no oversight of the key real-world risks facing public bodies until they become reality – and headline news.

Following a near-miss event in 2024, the environment department sanctioned a review of risks from high-priority legacy mines. The results turned up major gaps in protective measures at key sites.

A recent audit found department-wide internal financial controls were unsatisfactory. A follow-up audit of the department's communications division also turned up serious concerns over how procurement rules were followed, including over tendering for €735,000 in contracts.

In 2021, the agency had 16 cars on the road without insurance, one of which was in an accident. A new audit shows high-risk concerns remained at the end of 2023 over how it manages its national road fleet.

The Comptroller and Auditor General will soon publish a report on financial and internal control issues at the agency in 2022. A separate audit shows concerns with its procurement process in 2023 and 2024.