Results 2,881-2,900 of 3,336 for speaker:Kate O'Connell

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Did Mr. O'Callaghan ever make any representation to anybody to say "I am Chairperson of this new organisation. I really am concerned about its ability to deliver for survivors"? Did Mr. O'Callaghan make any such representation?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Here we go again. When did they come on board?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Okay. So how much money? There was €110 million, and the interest which was lodged beforehand. That was a total of €111.38 million. Was any interest accrued during the period? The money was held and Caranua needed access, so was there any interest on the €111.38 in the time?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Is it lodged in a current account?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: They are dealing with it. Well, they do not seem to be too bad at that bit of it.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: The witness keeps saying the staffing numbers were low-----

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: -----but the whole function of this was to help people, to provide supports and to try to compensate for the awful things that happened. I am not sure-----

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Yes. Funding supports to help people.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: We will get back to the person-centred staff. In her opening statement Ms Downes referred to "well-being". I do not like words like "well-being" because they are not scientific enough for me. Looking at Caranua's spend, there is a section on the sample of services provided in health supports. With regard to evaluating who Caranua is getting, for example counselling is the first item that...

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: So then we come to massage therapy. Was there someone who may not have had not the loudest voice who perhaps needed home nursing, immunisation or something else that was essential? Were people getting money for massages when others were not getting money for a wheelchair, for example? How can we be spending money? I am aware there is value to massage but it is hard to quantify. There are...

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: No. I am not finished. How do we evaluate the cost benefit of these? I am not saying there is no benefit but I would hate to see somebody not getting dental treatment because somebody else got a massage. How does Caranua balance that?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Okay, so the prescription or recommendation for massage had to come-----

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: From a doctor. From who else would Caranua take direction?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Not a consultant from Mazars obviously, it would be a medical consultant.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Are all of the witnesses happy that this is a good use of the fund, which is everybody's money? Do the witnesses think it is good value? Are they all comfortable with that fund being spent on items such as massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy and reflexology? We will not fall out over acupuncture because there is some evidence, but in terms of outcomes for spend the evidence for...

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: The problem is that, for a pharmacist for example, we try to not base things on feelings, it is more on-----

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: I am uncomfortable with the list as spent. Was a medical card provided at some point to people who were survivors?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Okay. I thought that may have happened in the past. I have a query for the representatives from the Department of Education and Skills. There was an interdepartmental committee set up a year ago. Is it the plan to take over from Caranua when it is wound down or has the Department nothing to do with it? Will they run in parallel? What is the plan there?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2017 (17 Oct 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Is that after Caranua is gone, or now?