Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Public Accounts Committee
Business of Committee
10:25 am
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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The Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality will appear before the committee today. That Department is responsible for the charity sector. I have received numerous telephone calls from charities telling me that they respect the work of the committee and encouraging it to complete that work, but it is the charitable organisations which are holding up the process. I agree that the sooner we get to the end of it, the better. We will be asking the HSE and the organisations involved to put their minds to it and complete the task. For that reason, Rehab should acknowledge what has happened and is happening, understand the damage that has been done and co-operate fully with the committee.
No. 3B.3 is correspondence, dated 21 February 2014, received from Mr. John Temple regarding Cluid Housing at College Manor, Dundalk. The correspondence is to be noted and a copy forwarded to the Department for a response.
No. 3B.4 is correspondence received from an anonymous source regarding Rehab. The correspondence is to be noted. We dealt with the matter when dealing with the issues of invoices and coffins.
No. 3B.5 is correspondence from Mr. Frank Flannery regarding correspondence from the committee. The correspondence is to be noted and published. We have also dealt with this matter.
No. 3B.6 is correspondence received from Tom Casey Solicitors. We have taken a decision to forward the correspondence to the Garda Síochána.
No. 3C is correspondence relevant to today's meeting. No. 3C.1 is correspondence received on 6 March from the Department of Justice and Equality on the briefing paper. The correspondence is to be noted and published. No.3C.2 is correspondence received on 11 March from the Department of Justice and Equality on the opening statements. The correspondence is to be noted and published.
No. 4 is reports, statements and accounts received since our meeting on 6 March. There are a number of bodies listed, including County Mayo VEC, Laois VEC, Leitrim VEC, the Drug Treatment Centre Board, Leopardstown Hospital Board, Bord na gCon, the Health and Safety Authority, Beaumont Hospital Board and the National Haemophilia Council. The accounts are to be noted, with the exception of No. 4.7, those relating to Bord na gCon, as we must invite its representatives to discuss its 2012 accounts. There is also a report due from the Comptroller and Auditor General.
We are requesting a note from the Department of Education and Skills on expenditure at County Wexford VEC. There are serious questions in respect of this body and the way it has incurred non-effective expenditure of €400,000, which is a scandalous waste of money. We will deal with this issue when we receive the note from the Department of Education and Skills.
Will Mr. McCarthy outline the position on the report on Bord na gCon?