Results 24,301-24,320 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Did IFI return money?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: What was the amount?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: It was in that order.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: I want to ask a particular question before I asking about some of the legal fees. There was an internal review in July 2022 and another in September 2022 and the CEO reported potential fraud to An Garda Síochána in 2022. It appears that report was only made after the second review. There were two reviews. Why was it not reported after the first review, if that was the case?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: No, I am talking about the fraud investigation. There were two internal reviews, in July 2022 and September 2022.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: I am specifically talking about the fraud investigations by An Garda Síochána.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: How many fraud investigations are there?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Okay. We are talking about the same thing.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Once Mr. O'Donnell became aware of the issue, he reported it to the Garda.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: I do not need further expansion now that we have that information. An extraordinary amount of money has been spent on legal fees. I fully accept IFI will prosecute people, including people who damage the environment. That is the nature of its job. In recent years, legal fees seem to have increased by approximately three times what IFI would normally spend on them. Why is that? Apart...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Can I have a reply to my other question?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: I am not asking Ms Campion how much they got. I know the figure was €1 million when all the fees are amalgamated because I asked a parliamentary question on it. Outside of prosecutions, what is the nature of the escalated spend on legal fees?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: IFI spent €39,000 on legal fees around the Dormant Accounts Fund.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Is that €29,000 spent on the report included in the figure of €50,000?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Was the HR advice in relation to the issues around the board?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: It was internal staff.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: As a matter of interest, the Minister will seek additional funds as part of the budget process. I ask Mr. O'Donnell to put himself in the Minister's position following all of the issues that have come to light, such as not insuring vehicles and the dysfunction around the board. Mr. O'Donnell says the organisation is understaffed and requires technical people. Does he honestly believe it is...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Is it politically viable?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Jul 2023)

Catherine Murphy: I must beg to differ.