Results 7,521-7,540 of 7,777 for speaker:Joe Costello
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: This would almost seem to be a solution to the length of time being spent in court currently. Why did it not happen before? Why has the Law Reform Commission not recommended it? How does it earn its onions?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: Yes. At what stage is it?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: Has it been dealt with through the Attorney General's office?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: The Attorney General's office has approved it.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: That sounds very interesting as it is a major cost. I will not spend much longer. Why are so many cases drawn out and settled on the steps of the courts?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: In 2011 the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions established a specialised financial unit to deal with fraud and white-collar crime. I presume that has added enormously to the complexity of the work the office is doing. It would have refocused much of the work. Is that the case? This is in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: How is it working? Is the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions really beginning to come to terms with white-collar crime and fraud?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: It is amazing that it took until 2011 to establish a unit to deal with it considering the amount of material that has come before this and other committees in terms of fraud and white-collar crime.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: But only two lawyers were employed in the unit.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: Did I misread it? The unit was initially staffed by two layers but has expanded over time to comprise five lawyers together with administrative support.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: So it is gradually-----
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions dealt with about 14,000 prosecutions last year.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015) Joe Costello: That is a huge amount of work. I thank all the witnesses.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Nov 2015)
Joe Costello: I have raised this issue before with regard to the National Paediatric Hospital. It is one of the three major projects in my own constituency that incurred enormous expense of State money which was not recoverable. One project was Thornton Hall which incurred €50 million of costs and the other was the Docklands which incurred costs of €52 million and that report has been...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Nov 2015)
Joe Costello: With regard to the Report on the Wards of Court, there is a certain degree of urgency around this because the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013 is going through the Final Stages in the Seanad. I believe that Ms Mary Farrell and the families were expecting that this matter might be addressed in that legislation. From speaking with the Minister, I understand that it is not the...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Nov 2015)
Joe Costello: Yes, and is there a role for the Minister for Finance in this or do the Comptroller and Auditor General's powers need to be amended under legislation?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Nov 2015)
Joe Costello: Will the Comptroller and Auditor General make a comment on this?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Nov 2015)
Joe Costello: So the Comptroller and Auditor General would need amendment to his legislation determining his remit?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Nov 2015)
Joe Costello: It might be necessary for the matter to be dealt with earlier rather than later, with the structures that are already there, before there is a new structure put in place.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Nov 2015)
Joe Costello: Would this committee expect a recommendation from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform?