Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
293. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Transport whether an invoice can be paid by his Department without an associated purchase order having first been raised; if so, the circumstances in which this may occur; the number and value of payments made during quarter one of 2026 which were not associated with a purchase order; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45192/26]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that a purchase order (PO) is normally used as a pre-approval control for procurement spend (goods/services). However, not all payments made by the Department are procurement-related, and as such, a PO is not always required or appropriate. Examples include, but not limited to
1. Non-procurement payments; examples of which include
• Grants / funding payments to a community body or agency under a scheme
• Compensation / legal settlements
2. Statutory or mandatory payments
3. Utility / recurring service payments (in some cases)
• Electricity, gas, telecoms, postage
4. Imprest / low-value or discretionary spend
• Low Value Purchase Card
• Small ad-hoc purchases below thresholds
5. Inter-agency / intra-government transaction
Period: January 2026 to March 2026
Number of non-PO payments made: 4,063
Total Value: €688,346,712.12
