Results 4,201-4,220 of 7,961 for speaker:Imelda Munster

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: Dr. Wall stated that the HEA was not happy about it and that it was looking to meet the university. Did Dr. Wall state earlier that he is going to meet it next Monday?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: When was the meeting for next Monday arranged?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: Before the HEA was going to appear before this committee.

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: My point is that the HEA has known about it for some time. The meeting was this week arranged for next Monday, yet it has been plastered all over the papers and the representatives of the university appeared before the committee a short while ago. The HEA was in no real hurry to look into the matter, question the university and find out exactly what had happened. It is fair to say there...

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: How seriously can we take Dr. Wall in regard to his claim to take oversight of governance seriously?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: The Committee of Public Accounts is one thing. One would imagine the HEA would have had all its ducks in a row before its representatives appeared before the committee. One would have imagined that the HEA would have carried out an investigation into the university in order that it would be able to come to us and tell us it had exercised due diligence, met the board, discovered something...

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: That is crazy-----

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: We are talking about the possibility of serious mismanagement of funds, and the HEA has done nothing about it to date.

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: I think the public and possibly even the media will find it astounding that the HEA has done zippo on this to date, given the seriousness of it.

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: The HEA has come here with one hand as long as the other, so to speak. It has not set up a meeting or carried out an investigation. It is meeting its representatives next Monday but there is no hurry. It seems to be a case of "What is the hurry here?", which raises serious questions.

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: In fairness, Dr. Wall has said nothing to convince us otherwise. Does he have any confidence in the leadership of the university to act in good faith and in the interests of students, the community and the Exchequer?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: Dr. Wall has had ample time to meet them, if that was a cut.

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: There is no hurry on him.

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: Dr. Wall said earlier that he envisages smaller competency-based boards in the future. Does he have an opinion on the expansion of the University of Limerick's board, the creation of new positions and the significant increase in the number of staff earning more than €180,000? Is it Dr. Wall's opinion that he wants to see smaller competency-based boards in future?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: I have one other question for clarity. Am I right in saying that, when the application for funding was submitted by the University of Limerick, it was for the overall project?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: Was that application ever approved?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: What was the reason for that?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: Is it possible to get information on that?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: The committee recently received correspondence about the ice rink owned by Dundalk Institute of Technology, DKIT. It appears DKIT let this sit idle for years and apparently it is now seeking to commercialise it. There was a standing offer for years that would have yielded a return and provided a public service. In providing funding to an institute under the authority's remit, does it have...

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Imelda Munster: I thank the witnesses. An ice hockey team is looking for it and it would have provided a service or benefit as there are not too many ice rinks in the country. Out of curiosity, would there have been any benefit had the institution been able to claim it hosted a high-profile sports team? Would it have assisted the institution had it taken the offer at the time?