Results 1,981-2,000 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the Secretary General of the Department. When did the Department become aware that there was an issue in the 2022 accounts?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Was the Minister informed at that stage?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: What action was taken? RTÉ is getting substantial funding from the Department. It is also reliant on funding from licence fees. What action was then taken and what questions were put to the board its the checks and balances? Were they put immediately or was it a case of waiting to see what developed?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Did the Department write to the board?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: In relation to the Department and the checks and balances relating to State companies, surely when the Department gets a set of accounts, is there not a series of questions it would ask? For instance, the audit and risk committee was just non-functioning in real terms. It did not do its homework.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: This issue was going on for a number of years before the committee members found it. Is an audit and risk committee not there to make sure everything is done above board and is fully transparent? This was going on for a number of years, which they were not aware of. Surely they are falling down in their job there.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Surely because the Department was paying so much money to RTÉ, there must have been some level of scrutiny going on within the Department as well, such that it is not relying solely on the auditors every year. Surely there were questions the Department was asking, or why were they not asked over the past three to four years prior to this breaking?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: However, the Department is accountable to the taxpayers in the sense of the money going from the State into RTÉ and, therefore, there must be a level of scrutiny by the Department to make sure there is full accountability.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Is Ms Licken saying this scrutiny fell down 12 months ago?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: With regard to the board, does Ms Licken accept that there were failures by the board in dealing with this issue down through the years as well?

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for the work he has done in this area. It is complex but there are a few issues that we must see if we can get through. My colleagues, including Deputy Durkan, raised the issue, for example, of limiting the number of cigarettes in a packet to 20, and this could be covered under this proposed legislation. The other issue we need to examine is that there is a great...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: 36. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a team has been appointed to conduct a review of the occupations on the critical skills occupation list and ineligible occupations list for employment permits; when this review will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44399/23]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: 112. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a school (details supplied) that completed a Stage 2B submission on 2 June 2023 to the building unit of her Department under the additional accommodation scheme will be permitted to proceed to tender for this project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44522/23]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I have a lot of questions I would like to ask, but I can leave it until the next session.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: We heard earlier from witnesses who came before the committee to speak about the scope of their authority. I understand that under the 2001 Act, the statutory code of mental health regulations is limited to inpatient services and does not cover outpatient services. In other words, they only cover about 1% of the people involved in mental healthcare. Has the HSE made any recommendations to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: What is the view of the HSE in respect of the appointment of one director for mental health services? That is what the Mental Health Commission is recommending. Where are we with that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Does Mr. Walsh accept that the area he is covering is very wide? It includes community services and mental health services. That is a wide area of responsibility. Is there a need for focus? One issue that has been lost in many debates is that the population of this country has increased by 1.5 million in 23 years. It has gone up from 3.8 million in 2000 to 5.2 million. That is an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the Mental Health Commission report, which contained 49 recommendations. I know that in real terms, it is quite recent but it obviously is important that the report does not gather dust on a shelf. There is obviously a challenge around trying to implement those 49 recommendations and it will not happen overnight. Has a clear plan been set in place to highlight the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the deficiency in the south and south west. Have we been able to deal with that CAMHS deficiency? What additional work needs to be done to provide up-to-date services there, rather than the piecemeal way it was done previously?