Latest news with #PublicAccountsCommittee
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
PAC orders audit of Rs2b monthly allocations to UCs
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly has ordered a comprehensive audit of the Rs2billion monthly budget allocated to union councils (UCs) across the province, citing concerns over financial irregularities and lack of oversight. In a formal letter to the auditor general of Pakistan, the PAC expressed concern that the substantial funds distributed to 1,600 UCs across Sindh are not being properly audited. The committee noted that while the Sindh government disburses Rs2billion monthly to these local bodies, there is no ongoing scrutiny of how the funds are being spent. According to the letter, only the UCs in Karachi Division were audited by the Directorate General (DG) Audit between 2018 and 2019. The financial activities of UCs in other districts of Sindh remain unaudited, raising serious accountability concerns. In response, the PAC has urged the AGP to instruct the relevant DG Audit offices to conduct a three-year audit of the budgets and expenditures of UCs throughout Sindh. Meanwhile, the PAC reported huge recoveries from various government departments in Sindh, totaling over Rs16.22billion to date. The latest recovery of Rs3.42 billion includes, Rs1.87billion deposited by DG Audit Local Government from recoveries made between September 2024 and April 2025. It also has Rs782.72million collected by DG Audit Sindh between July 2024 and April 2025 and Rs772.18million recovered by DG Audit Works during the same Rs12.59billion was recovered in outstanding water charges from various federal and provincial institutions on behalf of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board. These amounts have all been deposited into the government treasury. PAC Chairman Nisar Khuhro stated that the PAC held 97 meetings between July 2024 and May 2025. During this period, the committee reviewed 1,383 audit paras from various departments, settling 325 of them. The remaining 1,058 paras were deferred for further consideration. Khuhro stressed that the recovery and deposit of over Rs16billion into the government treasury reflect the PAC's unwavering commitment to financial accountability and transparency. He affirmed that the PAC will continue its efforts to recover public funds and ensure fiscal discipline across all government departments.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
PAC voices worries about FASTags and highway toll hikes
FASTags not properly working, extra money charged by toll plazas and the quality of roads being constructed were some of the issues that drew concern from the members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee , its chairperson and Congress MP K C Venugopal said Thursday. The recent collapse of a part of a national highway in Kerala was also flagged at the meeting, and a high-level committee will be travelling to the southern state to look into the matter, he added. The National Highways Authority of India chairperson and the Transport secretary appeared before the committee, which discussed "levy and regulation of fees, tariffs, user charges etc. on public infrastructure and other public utilities". "The committee was very concerned about these issues," he said, referring to the complaints over FASTags, tolls and quality of roads. The committee, sources said, suggested rationalisation of money being charged to commuters and also proper auditing. Transport ministry officials said they are devising a programme that will allow frequent highway users to pay tolls once a year to reduce the hassle of repeated payments every time they travel, sources added. Concerns over traffic at toll plazas with commuters forced to spend a long time despite having FASTags have often been raised in the past.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Arts Council ‘greatly regrets' €6.7m failed IT project spend & Maureen Kennelly to step down as director after hearings
THE Arts Council says it 'greatly regrets' splurging €6.7 million on a IT project that was later abandoned. Representatives from the Arts Council today appeared before the Public Accounts Committee following a 2 Arts Council chair Maura McGrath told how members of the body were appearing before the PAC 'to be accountable for our actions' Credit: Stedman The Arts Council has come under fire after it emerged it splashed €6.7million on a new grants management system, which was subsequently abandoned following multiple delays and complications. The project was to see five separate IT portals dating from 2008 amalgamated into one centralised grants management system but it was botched and never delivered. An initial investigation by the Department of Arts, published last February, found the council had not been prepared for the scale of the project and it had not put in place resources to deliver it. Amid the fallout, the State agency was blasted by Arts Minister Patrick O'Donovan, who expressed his 'deep concern'. Read more in News Officials from the council appeared before the Public Accounts Committee today. Arts Council chair Maura McGrath today told how members of the body were appearing before the PAC 'to provide full transparent information, to be accountable for our actions'. But Ms McGrath also took a swipe at the She insisted the controversial project 'was not and is not an optional extra'. Most read in Irish News Ms McGrath said: 'It began out of necessity, and it is a necessity that remains to be addressed.' And the Arts Council chair questioned the role of Government in the debacle. 'CARRY THE LOAD' McGrath rapped: 'The expectation that small State bodies set up for specialist purposes should be expected to carry the load on complex IT projects should be questioned.' The 2023 accounts for the agency note an overall loss of value of €5.3million up to June 2024. Arts Council director Maureen Kennelly - who will step down next month - revealed that it is now pursuing legal cases against two of the IT contractors involved in the failed project. Ms Kennelly told how the council has commenced legal proceedings against two contractors, with the council in the pre-action stage in relation to two others. 'REDUCE THE LOSS' She said: 'We are vigorously pursuing our cases to reduce the loss to the Ms Kennelly told TDs at the PAC that the IT systems date from 2008. Highlighting contributing factors to the project failure, she blamed 'a lack of internal expertise, poor performance by our contractors and also the impact of She said: 'In summary, lack of internal expertise, poor performance by our contractors and also, the impact of Covid-19 all contributed to the project failure.' Ms Kennelly also stressed that they have senior ICT expertise in-house now. 'VERY DISAPPOINTED' And she pledged the council would implement all recommendations from the Examination Report published by the Department of Arts. Speaking about her upcoming departure, Ms Kennelly said she is 'very disappointed' she has not been granted another term as director. But she said Arts Minister O'Donovan 'did not consent to a second term'. Ms Kennelly said: 'I'm very disappointed that a second term wasn't sanctioned for me, because I had very great plans for the organisation. The board fully supported me. DEPARTMENT 'FAILED' 'There were a number of reforms that I brought in, and there were a number of other reforms that I really wanted to see through. So it's a source of great disappointment that I won't be able to see those through.' Feargal O Coigligh, Secretary General of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Arts, admitted that his department had 'failed' to properly exercise its oversight function. Addressing the PAC, he confessed they 'should have intervened more actively and much sooner' to reduce the exposure of the taxpayer to this failed project. Mr O Coigligh highlighted how the minister has established an Expert Advisory Committee, led by Professor Niamh Brennan, to review the Governance and Organisational Culture in the Arts Council. A parallel review of the department's internal governance operations is also under way. 2 Arts Minister Patrick O'Donovan expressed his 'deep concern' over the failed IT project Credit: Getty
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
PAC flags concern over FASTags, highway tolls; seeks rationalisation: Venugopal
NEW DELHI: FASTags not properly working, extra money charged by toll plazas and the quality of roads being constructed were some of the issues that drew concern from the members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, its chairperson and Congress MP KC Venugopal said Thursday. The recent collapse of a part of a national highway in Kerala was also flagged at the meeting, and a high-level committee will be travelling to the southern state to look into the matter, he added. The National Highways Authority of India chairperson and the Transport secretary appeared before the committee, which discussed "levy and regulation of fees, tariffs, user charges etc. on public infrastructure and other public utilities". "The committee was very concerned about these issues," he said, referring to the complaints over FASTags, tolls and quality of roads. The committee, sources said, suggested rationalisation of money being charged to commuters and also proper auditing. Transport ministry officials said they are devising a programme that will allow frequent highway users to pay tolls once a year to reduce the hassle of repeated payments every time they travel, sources added. Concerns over traffic at toll plazas with commuters forced to spend a long time despite having FASTags have often been raised in the past.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Minister objected to second term for Arts Council director amid fallout over botched IT project
The director of the Arts Council , Maureen Kennelly, wanted to stay in her role, but Minister for Arts Patrick O'Donovan 'did not consent to a second term', she told the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee on Thursday. Ms Kennelly, who has been in the role since April 2020, is due to step down next month. She told the committee she wanted to continue her work as director, but Mr O'Donovan did not grant her a second five-year term. She said she was 'very disappointed' that her contract had not been extended as she had 'great plans for the organisation' and the board 'fully supported' her. 'There were a number of reforms that I brought in, and there were a number of other reforms that I really wanted to see through. So it's a source of great disappointment that I won't be able to see those through,' she said. READ MORE Ms Kennelly said she believed that all her 'predecessors in living memory' had been granted a second term. She said she was offered 'a short-term contract, which I deemed unacceptable'. Asked if Mr O'Donovan did not grant Ms Kennelly a second term because of the IT project controversy, Feargal Ó Coigligh, secretary general at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, said: 'The minister sanctioned the contract that he deemed appropriate.' About €6.7 million was spent by the arts organisation on a new IT system that was eventually abandoned. The PAC was told how the Arts Council is trying to recoup about €4 million lost through the botched IT project. Committee members heard the organisation had started legal proceedings against two contractors and was in the 'pre-action stage' in relation to two others. 'We are vigorously pursuing our cases to reduce the loss to the taxpayer,' Ms Kennelly told the committee . She said the council needed to modernise its IT systems and integrate five systems into one. The council 'engaged external contractors to manage and deliver the work, as we did not have the internal resources to deliver this large-scale project', she said. Ms Kennelly said, after some delays, 'multiple bugs were discovered' with the new system in 2022. She said every effort was made to 'rescue it', but ultimately this could not be done. Mr Ó Coigligh said he was 'very annoyed' that so much public money was lost through the failed IT scheme, adding that it 'shouldn't have happened'. 'Mistakes were made, and we put up our hands that mistakes were made,' he said. Mr Ó Coigligh said lessons have been learned to prevent such financial losses in the future. 'I'm putting in place changes to make sure it doesn't happen again,' he said. The minister has established an expert advisory committee, led by Professor Niamh Brennan, to review the governance and organisational culture at the Arts Council, Mr Ó Coigligh said. Representatives from the National Gallery also appeared before the committee on Thursday. Caroline Campbell, director of the National Gallery, said she hoped that a scanner bought for €125,000 and which lay idle for eight years will be up and running before the end of this year. She said she and her colleagues are 'very sorry for the length of time that it has taken to get the X-ray system up and running'. 'We anticipate that the system will be operational by the end of 2025, at no additional expense to the Exchequer,' Ms Campbell said. She said there were several reasons for the delay including 'pressures on the use of our building, unanticipated operational issues following the reopening of the gallery's historic wings in 2017, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and changes of key senior personnel during this period'.
