Results 2,001-2,020 of 3,777 for speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Okay. I want to turn to fleet management in particular. I think it is the second biggest expenditure outside of salaries. I understand the need for maintenance of the fleet. The valuation for plant and equipment comes to €21.4 million, which is substantial. To a certain extent I can understand it. I just want to get the right page in front of me here. There is a question around...
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Are there slightly over 200 vehicles?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We are pretty close to a one-on-one ratio in terms of vehicles to staff.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I accept that. Given the type of work IFI does, I accept the fact that there is a need for specialist vehicles but it just seems a very high ratio. It also seems that there is a very high figure included for general car hire; €350,000.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: In broad strokes, there is the guts of €500,000 being spent on fuel and €350,000 spent on car hire. The size of the fleet means that depreciation is a very serious cost. I understand there is a need for that but I find it astonishing, considering the size of the fleet, a fleet manager was only put in place after somebody had a crash in an uninsured vehicle.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Is the timeline wrong?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is evident in the fact there were 16 uninsured vehicles driving around the place that there was a need for a fleet manager.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I have a follow-on question on the climate commitments IFI set out. I think it is high level objective 4 and it refers to the type of reductions needed in carbon emissions across the organisation. The guts of €500,000 is being spent on fuel to get that expensive fleet around the place and that is not counting fuel for the RIBs, which is a separate cost. A significant amount of money...
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I want to stay on the issue of Aasleagh Lodge for a moment or two. What was it valued at when it was put up for sale? What was the valuation?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It was always going to be one of the key issues discussed today. I would have expected those numbers. Was the valuation internal or was it an independent valuation?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We all probably would have expected information both on the valuations and on any offers that were made.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That would be pertinent information. Without personalising it, one of the phrases Mr. O'Donnell used earlier was that, in any board, there is a waxing and waning, and then he described it as a healthy environment to be in. I know he was talking about the board, but it is quite at odds with what Ms Bradley said that there is a significant impact on staff morale. It just stood out for me....
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Okay. I had to come back to it because it stood out for me. I wanted to ask about note 6, remuneration and other pay costs. There are details here of one ex gratiapayment totalling €3,600, five redundancy payments that come to €21,600, and five settlements totalling more than €40,000 in 2021. Before I ask about the nature of those payments, I wanted to ask a more...
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I know Ms Bradley will not want to identify the employees, but are there any further details she can give us on those without identifying the actual employees?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I will not push Ms Bradley on that. Similarly, on the settlement and redundancy payments, I realise the organisation is small but these are unusual payments.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Okay. I have this ex gratia payment, five redundancy payments and five settlements.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Which can be accounted for.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Okay. That is helpful. I have one last question about the RIBs. A lot of money, €3.5 million, was paid for these 13 RIBs. There are 16 coxswains. There is a staff training budget that comes within spitting distance of half a million, but only three people who are qualified to drive these RIBs at night-time.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That is the information I have.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We have these 13 RIBs. They are very valuable pieces of kit and we want to have them out and in use as much as possible. How many people are equipped to operate them at night?