Results 3,861-3,880 of 34,779 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: Given those on maternity benefit will be taxed from July onwards for the first time as a result of budget, will that have implications for the Department's payroll system?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: Were the discussions ongoing before the budget announcement, given Mr. Moloney mentioned the Revenue in the context of taxing this benefit, or did they only start in the past few weeks?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: In light of this change to tax maternity benefit.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: It is not for me to put the Revenue's case but if this was done centrally rather than having to chase every teacher on maternity benefit individually, it would be simpler if the Department collected this on Revenue's behalf through its payroll system. I presume that is what Revenue officials are trying to say.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: So they are ongoing?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: I have heard about problems relating to this issue from teachers, which is why I raised that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: Next year.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: I accept what Mr. Ó Foghlú is saying but it is not the full picture because local authorities, which also process grant applications, were always under the Ombudsman's remit, even though the VECs were not. I refer to the €20 million in unspent capital funds in 2012. The Department's Estimates contained an allocation of €500,000 for a special memorial project for the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: Where is the location?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: It may not happen this year.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: We all hope it happens as soon as possible.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: A sum of €9.9 million for third level building projects was unspent in 2012. The main reason for this was the difficulties associated with the building project at St. Patrick's teacher training college in Drumcondra. This substantial project was tendered and, subsequently, a contractor was appointed in 2010. However, the contractor later ceased trading and a receiver was appointed....

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: Has that work commenced yet?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: I attended another committee meeting in the room next door at 10 a.m. with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform about the deferred surrender to the central fund of unspent money in the capital envelope for last year where he provided that it could be used this year. The briefing note given by the Department of Education and Skills to the Minister, which was circulated to us at the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: It may have been the under-bidder, but the document we were given at the meeting with the Minister, Deputy Howlin, at 10 o'clock this morning states it was retendered.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: He may have got that job, but is this morning's document from the Minister, Deputy Howlin, inaccurate?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: Okay. What was the scale of the cost of the project, if the witnesses do not have exact details? Was it €10 million, €20 million, €30 million, €40 million or €80 million?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: I will help Mr. McCarthy, because it is in his own notes on the appropriation accounts. The account the Department gave us for today states that the expenditure on the St. Patrick's, Drumcondra, campus development in 2010 was €5.5 million, in 2011 it was €1.8 million and the legally enforceable commitments to be met in subsequent years, according to the Department's...

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: I understand that, Chairman, but it is helpful sometimes. Perhaps the Comptroller and Auditor General will have a comment to make on this. In what year did that contractor go bust? Was it 2012?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 6 - Financial Commitments under Public Private Partnerships
Chapter 18 - Salary Overpayments to Teachers
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (28 Feb 2013)

Seán Fleming: I ask Mr. McCarthy to explain the appropriation account, which used the phrase "legally enforceable commitments to be met in subsequent years in relation to the St. Patrick's Drumcondra development of €32.405 million". Who had the legally enforceable commitment if the contractor had gone bust? How could he legally enforce a commitment if he had ceased trading?