Results 101-120 of 4,969 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: Given how rapidly we are moving, and the public are moving more quickly than anyone expected, I hope the NTA will be proactive on that point and consider the abolition of the ten-year rule. I think it will be necessary. I imagine if you were to ask the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, about reduce, reuse and recycle and the idea of forcing people to dispose of a car that in this case...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: Let me move on to the issue of metro. The report indicated that there was €150 million of income lost in the metro project. From my recollection of that, it was largely to do with the decision initially to end the project, then to restart it and for it to be on a different route. Do the witnesses accept the figure of €150 million and the recommendations of the report?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: Many people who come before us spend a lot less than €150 million. You would have to buy an awful lot of flip-flops to spend €150 million. I think of the saga that happened in here last year. For a Government agency to lose or set aside - I am not even sure what the correct word is - €150 million, albeit for probably very good transport reasons in order that we will...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: Yes, but a significant contributing factor to the money being lost was the decision not to take that project back up, which, by the way, had full planning permission and so on. We could have reinitiated that project. My question is how much of the €150 million would not have been lost had we gone with the previous route and the previous planning application.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: My question is what the value-for-money audit on that different approach was.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: We know that was a contributing factor to losing €150 million. The decision to change the route had a cost. What was the governance and oversight of that decision?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: Yes, but that is not my question.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: My question was what the governance and oversight was for the decision to choose a different route and, therefore, lose money. That is an important thing for us to understand as the Committee of Public Accounts.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: I do not accept that the Government decision alone is justification. Surely when the Government was making the decision there was a cost-benefit analysis, there were different routes put and there was a decision to lose €150 million because it was believed that it would save money elsewhere or it was better value for money elsewhere. That is my question. What was that process?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: Mr. Doocey is not joining the two projects together.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: They are not.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: They are separate routes, not separate projects.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: I reject that concept.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: You can ask anybody in Swords or anywhere in north Dublin-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: Absolutely-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: -----and I disagreed with that decision.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: My question is-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: We identified that loss of money. What were the oversight, governance and value for money steps taken at that time to make that decision?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: That is all I was asking.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (2 May 2024)

Paul McAuliffe: 186. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a review of the entitlements of a person (details supplied) could be reviewed. [19952/24]