Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 1 May 2014

Public Accounts Committee

Business of Committee

10:35 am

Photo of John McGuinnessJohn McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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It is a matter for the Department in the first place. We would take it up with it. If something was done incorrectly or was wrong and needed to be accounted for, this is the forum to which it should be accountable.

I turn to correspondence dated 10 April from Ms Noreen O'Sullivan, Garda Commissioner, on the purchase of digital recording equipment to be noted and published. Correspondence dated 14 April from Mr. Ray Mitchell on section 38 agencies to be noted and published. Section 38 agencies have until 1 July 2014 to cease payment of unapproved remuneration. We will review the situation with the HSE at our meeting on 12 June 2014 and obtain a further update on the matter in July. It is likely that the committee will then schedule the appearance of a number of section 38 bodies before the committee.

Correspondence dated 16 April from Mr. Brian Kerr, Rehab Group, on further information requested at our meeting on 10 April 2014 to be noted and published. It states that Rehab has received correspondence from Insight Consultants which states that Mr. Flannery has no involvement with the company and that information on payments made to Insight Consultants are commercially sensitive and will therefore not be published. Correspondence dated 16 April from Mr. Brendan Ryan, CEO of the Courts Services, on the appointment of specialist judges of the Circuit Court to deal with insolvency cases to be noted and published.

The next section is individual correspondence. Correspondence dated 8 April from Mr. Ray Mitchell on the transfer of Waterford HSE South cataract list to private hospitals to be noted and a copy to be sent to Mr. Patrick Condon. Correspondence received on 8 April from Dr. Bríd McGrath on the top-up payments to senior management in private schools to be noted and a copy forwarded to the Department of Education and Skills. Correspondence dated 15 April from Mr. William Treacy on the ongoing issue with Horse Racing Ireland and the Turf Club to be noted.

Correspondence dated 14 April 2014 from Ms Carmel Thornton, Monaghan County Council, on the North-South interconnector project to be noted. Eirgrid is outside the remit of the Committee of Public Accounts and we will forward the matter to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications.