Results 2,581-2,600 of 5,948 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The Comptroller and Auditor General has referenced this in terms of the notes to the accounts that are being prepared. It would be useful that it be considered.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: That is great. I thank McCarthy.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Let us come back to the €29 million. We have reached the limit on the governance side. As regards the discussion on whether there will be a transfer of funds or letter of comfort issued, will Mr. Hogan talk us through that process? Who issued the letter of comfort? I should reference it is a letter the Department of Finance issued a copy of to the committee in April. That is for...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: In 2014, there were some discussions between the joint administrators, the Department and the ICF in regard to-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: In 2021.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The Department had no interaction with the joint administrator in advance of that. In our earlier discussion, we essentially established that the administrator had a right to apply for this to the High Court and it did. Those funds were to be made available. Is it correct that the idea of a letter of comfort was obviously an attempt by the Department to provide an alternative?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: At that stage, the 2018 amendment referenced by the Comptroller and Auditor General was already in place, whereas prior to 2018 it would not have been in place.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Clearly, when a letter of comfort is being issued, there is still potential that those costs may be incurred, and €29 million is a very significant amount of money. Was there any cost-benefit analysis, or any analysis, of the likely chance of winning?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The State has ultimately benefited from that case being taken.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I admit it was not to the benefit of recouping the entire cost of the Quinn Insurance debacle but there has been benefit as a result of taking the case.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The query is it could not have benefited it as well. There is a scenario that the cost of both the administrator and the other side would have been very considerable. Would that be fair?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: It could have been €29 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: It was a very considerable calculation by the Department. That €29 million is a huge amount of money. We have established that it is very difficult to interrogate the Governor regarding the decision of the President of the High Court, but the Department was clearly involved in making that calculation when it talked about issuing a letter of comfort.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I do not disagree with Mr. Hogan. It was ultimately a commercial or a speculative decision and I accept that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: We discussed earlier the application to the President of the High Court and the fact that sums would have been released by virtue of-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: -----the decision. How much was that a factor in the Department's decision to be persuaded that it was something to pursue? Do not forget that it was already sort of accepted that the State was on the hook here by way of the ICF.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The Department was in a very difficult position because, by virtue of the Act, it was likely that it was going to be able to secure the funds from the ICF in any case. Therefore, the idea of offering the letter of comfort was really an attempt to try to mitigate the risk.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I accept all that. My question, though, was that prior to the 2018 amendments, the Department would not have been in that bind. Would it be fair to say that prior to 2018, when the amendment was introduced by the Department, it would not have had that Hobson's choice or Solomon's choice of knowing that the State was already on the hook?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: To clarify my question, I am really trying to interrogate why that 2018 amendment was brought forward.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Okay. I have one brief final question. Does Mr. McGrath believe it would have been possible for the administrator to apply for funds to pursue for securities of costs prior to the 2018 amendments?