Results 4,001-4,020 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: Is it London?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: How did the board come up with the €40,000 figure?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: Two hundred euro per round trip is quite a lot, especially when booking in advance.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: The gallery is only paying for the air trip. Is it paying for anything else?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: Dr. Braiden might not, but she probably does not fly with Ryanair. I just looked on the website this morning, and booking in advance could certainly be done for a lot less than €100 each way, and sometimes less than half of that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: Why did the gallery pay for it up front? He got a cheque for €40,000, is that right?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: What if he does not use the money for that purpose? Is there a claw-back for that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: What happens if he underspends it?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: No, this is a serious question. What happens if he underspends?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: The gallery will not seek to recover it.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: He might only go home once.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: In other words, it is cash into his hand if he does not spend it on air tickets. The gallery will not seek to recover it.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: The point I am trying to make is that I am not disputing the travelling backwards and forwards. I think what the gallery is doing is over-generous and we might come back to that. The point I am trying to make is that if he does not have to give back the money that he does not spend on travel then it is an extra salary to him.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: What is it, then?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: Regardless, the gallery will not look for the money back?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: What is the point in having vouched expenses if the vouching has no effect whatsoever, because the money is cash?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: It is a top-up, in effect.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: He can keep the change.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: How has it been working in practice up to now? This has been going on for a year and a half.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 15 - Staff Appointments in the National Gallery of Ireland
Vote 34 - National Gallery of Ireland (21 Nov 2013)

Shane Ross: I agree with Dr. Braiden about that. I have not doubt he is well-qualified and a very good choice. However, the Committee of Public Accounts is interested in how the arrangement is working. The board has had 18 months to consider it. How is it working? All we know is that over those 18 months, approximately €15,000 of the spend should have been vouched by now whereas the board has...