Results 6,281-6,300 of 21,440 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: One of the issues raised between the Department of Health and the HSE in regard to the section 38s was contained in the audit report where evidence was given that there had been some form of informal understanding vis-à-vis these top-ups. The Chairman will remember I raised it at the last session. I understood that those who carried out the audit would be in communication with the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I thank the Chairman.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Reference was made to the minutes of the special meeting in February 2013. Has word been sent out from this committee to whomsoever has possession of those minutes to have them sent over? If we could have them today while we are in session, it would be very helpful.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: We also need the minutes of the meeting.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Thank you, Chairman.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: In the course of his opening remarks Mr. Conlan lauded the role of the committee in what he called flushing out the phenomenon of top-ups and other maladministration in the CRC. I put it to Mr. Conlan that he would not attempt to mislead or be evasive with the committee. Is that the case?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I ask the question because I am struck by the fact that initially when this special meeting of February 2013 was mentioned he pleaded absolute ignorance of it. He said he was unaware of the meeting and he cited an alternative date of March. As the conversation moved on, not alone did he recall the special meeting but he was able to tell us that he was in Spain and that he had tendered his...

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: My concern is not getting the date wrong.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Conlan also recalled that the meeting was in February and so clear is his recollection now that he can recall that he was on holidays or away for whatever purposes in Spain. From here on in, as questions are asked, could Mr. Conlan do this committee the respect of giving the full detail on the first occasion that a question is asked? Could we agree to proceed on that basis?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Conlan also said in his opening statement that on foot of his resignation from the CRC he had no access to his files. Is that still the position?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: So Mr. Conlan has access now to his files.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Conlan cannot examine the files. Presumably, in advance of this meeting he wrote in and requested-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Could Mr. Conlan describe what the information was that he sought?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Conlan requested copies of the minutes of meetings, presumably including the board meetings?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Only for 2009 and 2010. On what basis did Mr. Conlan boil it down to those two years?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: With no disrespect to Mr. Conlan, I find all of this dodgy. I find it odd that he would single out two years, unless something spectacular was occurring at board meetings over those years which he might want to share with us. Frankly, at this stage nothing would surprise me. Given the matters at hand, with which he is fully conversant at this stage and for which he was requesting...

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Conlan is clearly a very experienced and accomplished person in his field. His CV is testimony to that. But what I hear from him is akin to “The dog ate me ecker” in response to reasonable questions that are being asked of him. I do not accept for a second that a person of Mr. Conlan’s experience and competence who is conversant with the issues at hand just...

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Does Mr. Conlan regard himself as an effective witness this morning and this afternoon?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I cited to Mr. Conlan two examples of fairly basic queries that were made, one in relation to a meeting of a board of which he was a long-standing member and the second in respect of his knowledge of a position for which he applied and was the successful candidate. It was very basic stuff, yet Mr. Conlan was not in a position to even answer the questions in a direct way when first asked....

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2012
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is where Mr. Conlan is wrong and the document before members from the Health Service Executive, HSE, states categorically how wrong he was, because the package was agreed at a special meeting of the board in February 2013 and Mr. Conlan was a member of that board. There is no mention here of remuneration committees or anything else. This matter was brought to the attention of the board...