Results 3,981-4,000 of 11,320 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Inquiries (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: The reason I say the decision of the Government to initiate a scoping exercise was in contravention of the wishes of the Dáil is because the Dáil made it clear that there is a need for a public inquiry and yet the Government decided to extend this process even further. The person who was responsible for the death of Shane O'Farrell is a man named Zigimantas Gridziuska. Nobody...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: I apologise as I have been in and out of the Dáil Chamber and I have not been following all of the responses. Some of my questions may already have been answered. I will begin where the Chair and Deputy Catherine Murphy have left off. The briefing note provided for today in respect of emergency accommodation for those seeking international protection states that before the opening of...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: This is very important. The Minister repeats statements such as this. When we are in our constituencies, people tell us they have heard that a house is being used or a hotel has been converted to house those seeking international protection. We tell them we do not know. When the officials and Ministers make this statement, it appears to people that their elected representatives are lying...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: Here is the term that is in this document: "Before the opening of any facility, the Department engages with local representatives to provide information." That does not happen. I represent two counties which have seen several centres opened for emergency accommodation. In one instance, in respect of modular housing in County Cavan, I was informed beforehand. For all the others, not a...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: That is a different argument. How many emergency centres are operational in respect of international protection?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: It was 27 in November.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: It has increased from 27 to 123 since December 2020. On how many of the additional 96 were local representatives provided with information the opening of the facility? That might get to the heart of where we are at.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: I am asking in-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: I want a response within a week as to how many cases that has happened in. I would hazard a guess that it is a fraction of those cases. If that is the case, I want the Department to retract the statement that says, "Before the opening of any facility, the Department engages with local representatives" because it has not happened. As I have said, that has had serious implications not in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: Is this done in the same way as they do with elected representatives?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: I want to move on to some other questions because the Secretary General is absolutely missing the point. We all agree there needs to be better engagement and we hope that the Department will endeavour to do that. However, the Secretary General and the Minister are making statements as statements of fact insisting that the Department engages. It does not say that the Department endeavours...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: I can say it is across the board. It may be happening with direct builds, but it does not happen with emergency accommodation in respect of hotels, houses etc. When we met last October, I asked how many intermediaries are used by the Department and Ms Baxter said it was probably three or four. However, the correspondence from the Department dated 14 February, just in the last few days,...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: I had asked a number of questions for which the departmental officials did not have answers the last time. How many properties are engaged via intermediaries? How many people are accommodated in properties engaged through intermediaries?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: Do those 23 properties include individual houses?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: Do intermediaries contract individual houses?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: The departmental officials stated this the last time as well. A large house in my constituency was purchased recently. It is now housing Ukrainian refugees, for good or for bad. However, it does not fit in with the information we are receiving from the Secretary General.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: In this instance I am told there are 11 residents.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: Who determines the capacity?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: So, if the provider were to advise that they have a property with a capacity for more than 15 but a local authority fire officer says it can actually only accommodate 11 people, do I take it the property would no longer be used for that purpose? Yes. Our intention is not to be contracting properties for fewer than 15 people. Obviously, there is the offer-a-home scheme, which the Department...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Matt Carthy: Is that the case even if they are going through an intermediary?