The Public Accounts Committee has heard that an office kitted out for the former Junior Minister John McGuinness was more akin to one on Wall Street than Kildare Street.

The spending watchdog committee is hearing from the OPW as to why €250,000 was spent on the office for the then Junior Minister.

Deputy McGuinness is now the Chairman of the Committee, and has vacated the chair temporarily to allow questions from TDs and Senators.

Deputy Gerald Nash has asked the Chair of the OPW Clare McGrath to explain the spending.

Mr Nash said: "How was it then that the State was allowed to finance an analogous office for an analogous minister for state in the Department of Health for €70,000?

"Where for the cost of buying a three-bed semi-detached house in Drogheda for example, we have a very lavish office on Kildare Sdtreet that is really more akin to Wall Street than Kildare Street to be frank."

Update 12.20pm

The Public Accounts Committee has heard that the office of the former Junior Minister John McGuinness requested that degradable toilet paper - like Kittensoft, Inversoft or Andrex - be used in his office.