Results 6,081-6,100 of 34,632 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: That is where the Deputy has an advantage over me. I have never received any legal advice from anyone on this matter. The Deputy got legal advice.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: It is as Chair on behalf of the committee.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: To respond finally, when I said "the committee", I meant myself as Chairman on behalf of the committee. I clarify that it was never my intention that the other members had to vet individuals. As Chairman, however, I have often told Accounting Officers not to answer a particular question. I have said it before and may have to say it again. I made that decision on the day based on what I...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: In the course of the meeting, I acted in my capacity as Chairman without reference to any legal advice from anyone. I have stated that I received some procedural advice from the secretariat, which is probably what it is paid to do, but I had already arrived at the same conclusion before I received that. I am closing the discussion on the topic.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Correct.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: The High Court.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: We will wait for the outcome at the Supreme Court, even though it was not the Committee of Public Accounts that was involved. The courts instructed that the case be taken against the Oireachtas rather than the individual committee. I stand open to correction.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: When we get it, it will not just be a matter for the Committee of Public Accounts, it will be a matter for the entire Oireachtas. It has Oireachtas-wide implications, not just for this committee.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: All I am saying, and I will conclude on this, is that, as Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, I have not been subjected to any pressure, I have not had verbal or written advice, hints or anything else. Every decision I have made, I have made in my own capacity. After the last High Court ruling, there was a useful briefing meeting for the Working Group of Committee Chairmen. All of...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: There are lessons for many people.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: She is right. The Prison Service is within the remit of this committee. We will take a break now. We have two sessions, which I want to complete before the weekly divisions. We will go for two and a half hours until 1 p.m. Will we give an hour and 15 minutes to each session? We will end each then. If anyone still has questions after the hour and 15 minutes, he or she can submit them...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: And there will then be an hour and 15 minutes for the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: We will not get it all done before lunch.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Professor Chris Fitzpatrick, in connection with the national children's hospital. He is a former master of the Coombe and wants to address the committee. We will suspend to allow the witnesses to take their seats.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: This morning we will have two sessions. The first is the 2017 Appropriation Accounts, Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office. The second is Vote 8 - Comptroller and Auditor General. We want to complete both sessions before the voting block at approximately 1 p.m. Members and witnesses will be pleased to hear that we are allocating one hour and 15 minutes to this session. The second session...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Thank you, Mr. McCarthy. I ask Mr. Dalton to make his opening statement. I note the CSO has submitted an appendix, which we will note and publish. It is not necessary to read the detail of that document into the public record as it is an appendix.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: I thank Mr. Dalton for that. The first speaker is Deputy Aylward, who has a maximum of 20 minutes. Each other speaker will have ten minutes. We will conclude this session in an hour's time because there is another session to be dealt with before lunch. I ask members to be as tight as possible in their contributions.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Next are Deputies Connolly and Murphy. These are ten-minute slots.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: That is fine.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (11 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: The CSO's annual report from 2017 contains a very big appendix with all the timelines of the different reports. One part refers to "System Health Accounts". If the witnesses do not have the answer now, they can send it on to the committee. There is a timescale of a year and a half, or 78 weeks. What are those statistics and why does it take a year and a half to get them? Surely the CSO...