Results 3,561-3,580 of 5,632 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Oversight Audit Commission’s 2021 Annual Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: I am very pleased that the witnesses are with us today and thank them for their time. The committee very much appreciates their being here today. We will suspend for five minutes to allow the new witnesses to take their seats.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: We are now in public session. I thank our witnesses for their attendance. From the Local Government Audit Service we are joined by Ms Niamh Larkin, director of audit, and Mr. Richard Murphy, principal local government auditor. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their contributions to today's meeting. This means they have an absolute defence against any...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: I thank Ms Larkin. With the agreement of those members present, Senator Boyhan will take the first slot. I advise members that as a result, their speaking time will be seven minutes later than originally agreed. If members are not present when their slot is called we will do our best to include them at a subsequent slot.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: I thank Ms Larkin and she may return to the other points later. In a similar vein, I have a question that I also put to NOAC. I am a member of the Committee of Public Accounts and the discussion about the degree of oversight of public spending at local government level has taken place at the Committee of Public Accounts and this committee. I say this as someone who was a member of a local...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: But are the resources there to support the structures?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: Unfortunately, there is a unique factor in local government in that you are not allowed owe the local authority any money, be it a library fine or a bill of any nature. As a result of this mistake, there may be local authority members who will not be able to run again and I think this is a very serious issue in a democracy.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: I appreciate Ms Larkin's replies.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: I will interrupt for a moment. Deputy Gould has a seven-minute slot but the next speaking slot available is also for Sinn Féin. I will allow the Deputy the full Sinn Féin allocation.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: That is fine.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: To return to the comparison of resources that I raised earlier, Senator Boyhan makes a valid point that it is a very small number of members of the local authority who would be members of the audit committee and so, first, would be aware of the LGAS reports and, second, would be aware of the response to that report, and then would have an ability to raise it in what is often a very busy...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: I do not wish to ask about specific details, but could Ms Larkin clarify the point about the circumstances that arise when a report is not published? That is an important point.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: That concludes the questions. Ms Larkin can probably see the trajectory of our concerns. When she reflects on it, if she feels there were any issues she did not get to raise during the meeting, she can write to the committee in advance of us preparing recommendations. We would not want to prepare recommendations that are not feasible to implement. There is a lot of concern about the level...
- National Maternity Hospital: Statements (12 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: I thank the Minister again for being here for these statements, as he was a number of weeks ago when time was made available to discuss this issue of the national maternity hospital. On that occasion I said I did not believe any Member of this House wanted the national maternity hospital run by a religious order and that is still the case. Not only is it the case but, following the...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (12 May 2022)
Paul McAuliffe: 7. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the reason that current defence spending was 5% under profile at the end of April 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23508/22]
- Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022) Paul McAuliffe: I thank the witnesses for being here today. I want to return to the issue of the site purchase for the city campus, and particularly the events of 5 April, when there was a governing authority meeting. I will preface my comments by saying that I differ slightly from some of the previous members in that I would be concerned, as a member of the Committee on Public Accounts, if, despite...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022) Paul McAuliffe: Therefore, there is nothing to prevent the Committee of Public Accounts or any other body from carrying out a similar investigation and coming up with conclusions of their own. Would that be fair to say? For example, the Department could carry out an independent review.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022) Paul McAuliffe: That is correct. Okay. It is not unusual, I suppose, for people who are party to the findings of a report to seek the recourse of the courts to prevent their publication. This happens pretty much with every Government report that files a hard finding. All of that being said, I understand the university’s position, but I hope the witnesses will appreciate our frustration as well. ...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022) Paul McAuliffe: Was that information tabled verbally at the governing authority?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022) Paul McAuliffe: Therefore, was a document circulated to the governing authority that detailed some of the information-----
- Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022) Paul McAuliffe: -----which Ms Harney is verbally reporting here? Was it circulated to all members of the governing authority?