Results 5,561-5,580 of 6,478 for speaker:Gerald Nash

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: Okay. On the Manor Village student accommodation, which is dealt with in the Quigley report, approximately €7.5 million was required to buy out the investors last month. This matter is referenced on page 11, in section 4. Is Dr. Neavyn in a position to clarify whether anybody associated with Waterford Institute of Technology - whether it is a member of the governing body, the...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: So no members of the executive board or the governing body or staff were-----

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: This did not conform with the institute's travel policy in terms of identifying the best use of resources and ensuring that public transport would be used if that was a cheaper alternative. It did not comply with the institute's policy at that time. The current governing body of the institute believes that the specific transactions relating to flights were unnecessary and did not represent...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: Was Dr. Neavyn a member of staff of the college at the time under examination?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: No. At the time these particular flights were taken.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: I assume in any event that this would been the talk of the canteen. It would be highly unusual for institutes of technology to charter flights of that nature. I imagine people would have discussed that this would have been unusual in and around the college not only at official level but during general chitchat at the watercooler. Nobody shouted "stop".

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: By a financial officer?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: That individual was overruled. It was the president directly-----

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: -----who decided to overrule that.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: Dr. Neavyn referenced the fact that High Court proceedings are under way. It seems they are being taken in an effort to ensure there is reimbursement of some expenses that may have been involved that may be defined as having been for the former president's personal benefit. Can Dr. Neavyn outline to the committee what efforts the institute of technology has made to establish the nature of...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: From the president?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: Can Dr. Neavyn give the committee a flavour of the areas to which he is referring? Is it expenditure related to the taking of a business class return flight from Dublin to Chicago in April 2011 when another staff member flew economy class. The then president of the institute flew business class at a cost of nearly €3,400 whereas another staff member flew economy class on a standard...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: This was the Chicago flight and I think it involved Dr. Ormonde.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: Dr. Ormonde accompanied the president.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: He flew economy class while the president decided that he would take a business class flight - the chairman was in steerage.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: There are a few other matters of interest. A hospitality card was operated by the president. Is it safe to assume there was expenditure in excess of €10,000 on that hospitality card? I assume that was for meals, lunches and so forth on the college campus. Was the professor also receiving money on foot of subsistence claims at the same time?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: On the Deloitte & Touche two report, there is a question mark over €377,000 of the €952,000 at issue because of insufficient evidence from a value for money point of view, general compliance with WIT policy on procurement procedures and so on, and whether there was personal gain for the president. Is that the case?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: That is about 38% of the €952,000 at issue.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: I just wanted to put that on record. There was the supply and installation as what is known as a rotogate in the president's office. I would not consider that necessarily to be of personal benefit to the president. That is clear. Rotogate is apparently a type of turnstile and security device. I am not sure whether it was to do with keeping people out or keeping the president in. A...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Gerald Nash: What did it involve? Why was a rotogate installed in his office? What was he concerned about?