Results 22,881-22,900 of 34,780 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: We are not allowed to meet on Tuesday afternoons because the Dáil is sitting. That is one of the components of Dáil reform. I see the sense in having it Tuesday afternoon but the rules of the House require us to avoid meetings when the Dáil is in plenary session. That forces us to have the meeting in the morning. However, as the Deputy will see from the work programme, that...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: Absolutely. Once the public hearings on Project Eagle are out of the way, there should not be too much more in the way of additional meetings.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: We have a rota which runs in sequence.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: Yes, the Deputy will be next. We are taking speakers strictly on rota. On a few occasions, however, we have had to seek volunteers. Notwithstanding the rota arrangements, members are always free to say if a particular day does not suit them.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: If a member has a particular interest in attending a meeting, he or she should contact the secretariat to see if it is possible to be accommodated as one of the two opening speakers, subject to agreement by other members. Is there any other business?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: Deputy Burke is down to speak first and Deputy Connolly second.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: That is appreciated. Such things happen to all of us and traffic is outside of our control. We will suspend for a couple of minutes to allow the witnesses to take their places.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: I welcome Ms Niamh O'Donoghue, Secretary General at the Department of Social Protection; Ms Anne Vaughan, deputy Secretary General; Mr. John Conlon, assistant Secretary General; Mr. Jim McDonnell, principal officer; Mr. Tim Duggan, assistant Secretary General; and Ms Kathleen Stack, assistant Secretary General. I also welcome Mr. Colin Menton from the Department of Public Expenditure and...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General. On a minor point of clarification, referring to chapter 9, which deals with the farm assist and household benefits schemes, the Comptroller and Auditor General stated the farm assist survey "estimated a level of payments in excess of entitlement of 10.4% of the total amount in payment, which was €88 million in 2015."

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: The excess in that case is only €8 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: The €88 million figure is not the extent of the problem but the total in payment.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: The excess payment in household benefits was only 5% of the €221 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General for that clarification. I invite Ms Niamh O'Donoghue to make her opening statement.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: I thank Ms O'Donoghue for her opening statement. I propose that the lead speaker have 20 minutes in which to question the witness and that the second speaker have 15. All other members will have ten-minute slots. This will help to ensure everybody gets a fair chance within a reasonable period. Both the clerk and I will be keeping a close watch on the time and I will tell members when they...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: Per person.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: What about per scheme?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: After Deputy Connolly, the next speakers will be Deputies Madigan, Catherine Murphy and Cassells.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: Ms O'Donoghue can send it on to the committee.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: Does the payment come out of the Department's Vote or the OPW Vote?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Department of Social Protection
Chapter 9 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 10 - Roll-out of the Public Services Card
Social Insurance Fund 2015 (20 Oct 2016)

Seán Fleming: We will write directly to the OPW.