Results 7,861-7,880 of 20,884 for speaker:Alan Kelly
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (30 Mar 2017)
Alan Kelly: Did the Chairman feel that there was an agenda behind the advice being given?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (30 Mar 2017)
Alan Kelly: I do not think any of us were aware of this. If that is there we need to change it because the idea that we could do a report and the next thing it could be culled is incredible.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (30 Mar 2017)
Alan Kelly: Absolutely, but I wanted to know if the Chairman felt that in his being approached, there was an agenda.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (30 Mar 2017)
Alan Kelly: Second, on to the three areas which the Chairman outlined where he felt that people had approached him in different ways, I support him in his using his discretion as to how he was going to reveal this. It is important we all do for the simple reason that if the Chairman had to reveal some of this at the time, the whole thing would have been taken over. What would have happened? We have to...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: Last week we met officials from the Department of Education and Skills and yesterday we met with the Higher Education Authority. Between today and next week, we will meet with six higher education institutions. In this session we will examine the financial statements for 2013-14 for University College Cork, UCC. From UCC we are joined by Professor Patrick O'Shea, the president who is new...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: I thank Mr. McCarthy and call Professor Patrick O'Shea to make his opening statement.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: I thank Professor O'Shea. I now call the first speaker, Deputy Marc MacSharry, and propose that the lead speaker will have 15 minutes today if he needs to question the witnesses. All other members will have ten minutes. We have three sessions today, so I ask members to be concise with their questions and to direct them to witnesses for answer. Both the clerk and I will be keeping a...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: First is Deputy MacSharry, second is Deputy Cullinane and third is Deputy Connolly. Those are the speakers we have at the moment.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: I thank the witnesses for coming in today. I want to wish Professor O'Shea, from my alma mater, the very best. I must declare up front that he gave me a badge on the way in.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: Well, UCC shaped me, for good or for bad. How much of the amount spent on professional fees was for legal advice and services? There seems to be a serious issue in UCC with regard to legal advice for staff issues and cases involving staff. In fact, I would argue that more money is being spent on that than in many of the other universities put together. What is going on?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: I appreciate that these are issues that predate the Professor O'Shea's presidency, to be fair. That said, the amount involved is extraordinary. It seems that a mallet is being used to crack a nut. I agree with the professor about the importance of mediation but the volume of fees being charged is extraordinary. It is almost the same as that spent by the other six universities all...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: I understand that there are property transactions, the IMI and other issues but I am asking about the staff related issues. Why are there so many issues with staff?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: You are. We can see across all the institutions-----
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: It is obviously a question that the witnesses cannot answer comprehensively so I will just make a point and move on. I would point out that the legal fees relating to staff issues in UCC are considerably higher than anywhere else. In fact, I estimate that the spending on legal fees relating to staff issues at UCC equals that of the other six universities put together. There is a trend...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: My understanding is that a considerable amount of the professional fees are legal fees.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: It runs to millions.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: The next issue I wish to raise is travel and subsistence. In that context, are staff at UCC allowed to have credit cards? If so, how are costs controlled and audited? The figure for travel and subsistence is €7.4 million. Which is more important - travel and subsistence for staff or books and journals? I spent years in the Boole Library and I would presume that the latter is more...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: Does that not seem a bit odd?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: That is fine but-----
- Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
UCC: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (30 Mar 2017) Alan Kelly: The train fare might work out better.