Results 4,201-4,220 of 26,486 for speaker:John McGuinness

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: How could that happen if the end of the contract was close?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: It is pretty clear that if I was part of a contract that was just finished, and I knew it would not be renewed because of ill feeling or a judgment that the contract was not being fulfilled properly, I would live with the issue for the few months. That is what private enterprise might do; it would grin and bear it until the end, paying far less than €80,000. I would not put my hand...

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: It is not required. I am just asking to clarify the matter. No sanction seems to be required.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: That was not agreed with me or the committee.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: We are here to extract the detail of the payment from the witness. I have not asked for the name of the contractor or anybody else. We are discussing the principle of paying somebody €80,000 at the end of their contract when it would have apparently cost substantially less to let the contract run out. There could not have been a legal dispute at the end of a contract if it had been...

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: What did the audit committee make of the €16,000 and €80,000 payments? Did it have a view?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: Did the audit committee approve of the scheme?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: A "Yes" or "No" answer will do. Did the audit committee agree to the scheme which was introduced that led to the €16,000 payment?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: It did not express a view and Mr. Guiomard did not ask it prior to the introduction of the scheme which paid staff €16,000. That is no reflection on staff or anything else but rather the process by which the arrangement was reached by which €16,000 was available to staff. Mr. Guiomard is telling me he did not ask the audit committee about it.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: Did you ask the audit committee's advice prior to the payment of the €80,000?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: So you act on your own?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: That may be so but there is an audit committee and surely it has some role. Had it expressed any concern about the payment of €80,000 or €16,000?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: Has it been brought to its attention bar from putting it in the accounts? Has it debated the accounts?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: How much do its members get paid?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: Is that €15,000 each?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: So they get five grand a year. Is that right?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: I find the payment of €16,000 - again nothing to do with the staff or anything else - and how Mr. Guiomard arrived at that to be unusual, unless the Comptroller and Auditor General would like to comment on the information that he has on the ex gratia payment of €80,000.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: I will conclude on this because there is no point pursuing this at this meeting. We will pursue it elsewhere. What information did Mr. Guiomard give to the Comptroller and Auditor General regarding the €80,000? Was it in writing?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: What Mr. Guiomard has given is a file of the information around the payment of this €80,000 to the Comptroller and Auditor General's office.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

John McGuinness: For the purpose of this question, we need to get the information from that file or at least have a discussion with the Comptroller and Auditor General about it and we will come back to Mr. Guiomard in due course. This is unsatisfactory. For one man to make that decision - we will see the legal advice around it as well if Mr. Guiomard sought it - is unusual. I will make no further comment...