Results 2,121-2,140 of 5,948 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: We are now in public session. I thank our witnesses for their attendance. From the Local Government Audit Service we are joined by Ms Niamh Larkin, director of audit, and Mr. Richard Murphy, principal local government auditor. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their contributions to today's meeting. This means they have an absolute defence against any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I thank Ms Larkin. With the agreement of those members present, Senator Boyhan will take the first slot. I advise members that as a result, their speaking time will be seven minutes later than originally agreed. If members are not present when their slot is called we will do our best to include them at a subsequent slot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I thank Ms Larkin and she may return to the other points later. In a similar vein, I have a question that I also put to NOAC. I am a member of the Committee of Public Accounts and the discussion about the degree of oversight of public spending at local government level has taken place at the Committee of Public Accounts and this committee. I say this as someone who was a member of a local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: But are the resources there to support the structures?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: Unfortunately, there is a unique factor in local government in that you are not allowed owe the local authority any money, be it a library fine or a bill of any nature. As a result of this mistake, there may be local authority members who will not be able to run again and I think this is a very serious issue in a democracy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I appreciate Ms Larkin's replies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I will interrupt for a moment. Deputy Gould has a seven-minute slot but the next speaking slot available is also for Sinn Féin. I will allow the Deputy the full Sinn Féin allocation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: To return to the comparison of resources that I raised earlier, Senator Boyhan makes a valid point that it is a very small number of members of the local authority who would be members of the audit committee and so, first, would be aware of the LGAS reports and, second, would be aware of the response to that report, and then would have an ability to raise it in what is often a very busy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I do not wish to ask about specific details, but could Ms Larkin clarify the point about the circumstances that arise when a report is not published? That is an important point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Audit Service Report: Discussion (17 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: That concludes the questions. Ms Larkin can probably see the trajectory of our concerns. When she reflects on it, if she feels there were any issues she did not get to raise during the meeting, she can write to the committee in advance of us preparing recommendations. We would not want to prepare recommendations that are not feasible to implement. There is a lot of concern about the level...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (19 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I thank the Minister and her officials for being here today. I apologise if I repeat questions because I was at the health committee next door. I promise to be less robust here than I was next door. It is such an interesting area because education has such an informative role in culture. As Senator Higgins said, this is not just education or career preparation, it is about culture. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (19 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I have a question about a statistic the Minister gave. I said that 14% of teachers at primary level were men. Then the Minister gave a figure that showed that at leadership level 33% were men and approximately 66% were women.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (19 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: It is amazing that, at leadership level, men are doing double their strength, yet women's is reduced.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (1 Jun 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: 9. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his discussions with the leaders of the parties in Northern Ireland following the Stormont elections. [26194/22]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (1 Jun 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: 18. To ask the Taoiseach the mechanism by which his Department will review progress made in implementing the programme for Government. [26195/22]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (31 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: 277. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the passport of a child (details supplied) will issue given that it has been estimated for issue since 21 April 2022 and the family are travelling in the coming days. [27226/22]

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I apologise, but we are significantly behind in our speaking slots.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: With respect, I am just making sure we get to make our contributions. Other members have speaking slots elsewhere and we all time our time. We always try to get our questions and answers within the ten minutes. We have had a supplementary slot by the Chair in regard to waiting lists, and also Deputy Murphy. My point is that we have a second round. It is not fair on other members.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Paul McAuliffe: I thank the witnesses for being here today. It is the first opportunity for us with all of them present to acknowledge what has taken place over the past two years. Some of the witnesses were more visible in the battle against Covid than others. That speaks to the hundreds of thousands of people in the HSE, in particular, those working in hospitals and as carers. I acknowledge that now...