Results 1,381-1,400 of 4,156 for speaker:Cormac Devlin

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine - 2021 Financial Statements
Fishery Harbour Centres (4 May 2023)

Cormac Devlin: The briefing notes state that €161 million was invested in capital works in six fisheries harbours from 2010 through to 2021. I ask Mr. Gleeson to comment on that. The asset management unit should be highlighted. It is dealt with in the briefing note. It was formed in January 2017 and completed its work in 2021. There were issues in respect of an asset register. I pay tribute...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine - 2021 Financial Statements
Fishery Harbour Centres (4 May 2023)

Cormac Devlin: I thank the witnesses.

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: I welcome Ms Buckley and the other witnesses. Her approach to today and to her new role is very welcome. I appreciate her frankness and honesty, or being as much as she can be at this point. I think she realises the scale of the challenge ahead of her in terms of the reputational damage to the board that has unfortunately dogged it for the past 12 months, if not before that. I am going to...

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: That includes the 34 recommendations.

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: That is fine. Is there one protected disclosure?

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: How many internal reviews are being done? Ms Buckley mentioned a HR review. Are any other reviews being done in the organisation?

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: Are there any reviews being done internally, apart from the HR review, full stop?

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: That is going to cover a lot.

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: That is fair enough. Turning to the statutory penalty payments to which Deputy Burke referred a few moments ago, I note that in 2021 a €10,000 penalty was paid out, and in 2022, that figure rose to €1.34 million. What is the reason behind that?

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: Of course, with the LRDs, the onus is really on the council first and foremost. It has to adhere to-----

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: How many penalties for SHDs are we talking about for 2021? In 2021, only €10,000 was paid out, and that figure rose to €1.3 million in 2022. How many cases are we talking about for each year?

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: So there was one case in 2021?

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: Okay, that is fair enough. I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General. In terms of the backlog of 27,000 residential units that was referred to, and the board's hope to have it cleared by the end of the year, anybody within the State realises that we need to have those units as quickly as possible, but obviously, the system has to be robust and we do not want any shortcuts from the board's...

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: Sorry, who ultimately makes the decision of what inspector or planner is allocated to each board? As Ms Buckley has said, when those files are being allocated, it is random.

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: I have to press on because I have only two minutes and I have four questions. One is on the oral hearings. I have always felt that there has been a bit of uneven application of how the board decides an oral hearing. The board's annual report states that oral hearings are sometimes held in relation to "CPO cases, strategic infrastructure applications and other cases which are complex and/or...

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: None of the witnesses have information on the number of oral hearings granted by the board in 2018 or 2019. Does the board have to come back to us with those figures?

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: That would be helpful.

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: That would be helpful. In terms of the annual report, fee income doubled in 2016 to 2020, which shows the volume of cases that the board was dealing with. However, operating expenses also rose from €6 million in 2019 to €11 million in 2020. What was the reason for that?

Public Accounts Committee: An Bord Pleanála - Financial Statements 2021 (27 Apr 2023)

Cormac Devlin: So, are we saying now, with the new appointment of a legal adviser to the board - I am sure I am not the only one who is surprised there was not one in place before - that this might reduce the expenditure or exposure of the board in terms of legal cases? Is that the rationale for having someone in-house, as opposed to outsourcing it?