§ MR. MACVEAGH (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state how many of the Local Government Board auditors in Ireland were previously accountants, or held or hold any certificate from the Institute of Chartered Accountants or any kindred body; whether he can state if the Public Bodies Order, 1904, for Ireland was approved of by the present staff of auditors; whether the effect of the Order will be to confine the duties of the auditors to the correction of figures and the noting of illegal payments, and to throw upon the local bodies the onus of preparing for the auditors a draft accountant's statement; and whether he is aware that such a system was unanimously condemned in the Report of the Joint Select Committee of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
§ MR. WALTER LONGTen out of the staff of seventeen auditors had experience of public accounts prior to their appointment. The Answer to the second inquiry is in the affirmative. The Order will not have the effect suggested in the third inquiry, but will render the audit more searching, and consequently of greater value. The Joint Committee on Municipal Trading expressed the opinion that the duties of auditors should not be confined to the mere certification of figures; but such limited system of audit does not prevail in Ireland. The recommendations of the Committee did not apply to Ireland.
§ MR. MACVEAGHHow many have a certificate from the Institute of Chartered Accountants or some similar body?
§ MR. WALTER LONGI cannot say.
§ MR. MACVEAGHI can. There are none.