Results 2,981-3,000 of 20,057 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: There is a good bit of important business this afternoon. The public business before us this afternoon is as follows: minutes, accounts and financial statements, correspondence, work programme and any other business. The first item of business is the minutes of our meeting of 17 February 2024, which have been circulated to members. Does any member wish to raise any matters regarding the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: What was the timeline again?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: Okay. I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General. Does any member wish to come in on that?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: Was that in reference to the LDA?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: I call Deputy Catherine Murphy.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: Can we agree to note the listing of accounts and financial statements? Agreed. As usual, the listing of accounts or financial statements will be published as part of our minutes. We will move on to correspondence. As previously agreed, items that are not flagged for discussion in this meeting will be dealt with in accordance with the proposed actions that have been circulated and...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: Regarding my experience of Part 8 as a councillor and having observed what goes on, there are dozens of Part 8s in County Laois every year and there is no delay. This keeps getting flagged by the Department as if it were an issue, and by some people who are misinformed. The longest I have seen a Part 8 go on for is two months. It is a month for the normal process, then there is public...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: I have a real problem with that because it removes that democratic input. The point I am making is that it is the Department that holds this up, and some people who are misinformed or deliberately want to mislead people about it put this up as being a big blockage in the system. I do not know about other counties but I have dealt with three counties, including the county the Deputy resides...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: We all accept that.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: If you want to put that question you have-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: The reply, on page 18, has a piece on housing estates where the developer provided infrastructure for water and wastewater and the difficulties in getting those taken in charge. It is disappointing because it seems to go around in circles. Irish Water says it will not take them in charge and it seems to fall back on the local authority. The only thing is that it does bring clarity to the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: That is an extraordinary amount. There is one in Laois, that I know of.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: The stand-alone ones probably never will be taken in charge because they are not connected. The Limekiln in Clogh, for example, has a sewerage system.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: It is one of these environmentally friendly treatment systems. It was requested and agreed they would do that during the Celtic tiger period. It is a small development. Irish Water's argument and the Department's case seem to be that it is not connected to the mains and is a stand-alone facility in a small rural village. They are saying the local authorities gave the planning permission....

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: It will bring up to scratch certain ones. There is a difference. There is one around the corner from me that needs to be brought up to scratch but that is connected. The difference is the pumping station in that estate is connected to the public sewer. There are two different scenarios. The onus is on the Department and local authorities to address those ones. They cannot use that as an...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: This is a big issue across the 31 local authorities. The lesson has been learned by some local authorities - hopefully by them all - that the bonds in the Celtic tiger period lodged by the developer as surety for works not completed, works not completed properly or deficient works should have been adequate to meet the costs. In many cases, that bond was not acceptable. It was simply a...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: They are another category, though.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: There was a number like that but it is a separate category.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: In a big urban area like Cork, there are probably more. There are a few of them knocking around in the part of the world I am familiar with.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Feb 2024)

Brian Stanley: We will look for the information requested.