Results 8,741-8,760 of 11,348 for speaker:Colm Burke
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: No, the standard invoice would have a VAT component. Am I correct?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: When the invoice was received in RTÉ's accounts department, how come further clarification was not looked for on this aspect?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: What is the scenario in relation to VAT in that case?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Were you aware of the detail of the invoice, because these were described as "consultancy fees"? Surely any invoice would set that out. I have been involved in business for 30 years. Mr. Collins is a qualified financial adviser. Surely just having "consultancy fees" is not a sufficient description on an invoice? Would Mr. Collins accept this?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Was there not a duty then on Mr. Collins's part to raise a query regarding what these consultancy fees were for?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Okay. Let us go on.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: How many more invoices went through like this where there were consultancy fees marked down?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Have you looked at other accounts where the description "consultancy fees" was used and those invoices went through the system without anyone raising questions?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Is it not time to do such a detailed analysis if this is the-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Every other business in this country has its invoices robustly checked. I refer to any organisation. In a large organisation that is also a public service broadcaster, there is even more of an onus to cross-check everything that comes in.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Yes. It is a slush fund. If we look at the definition of "slush fund", and I got this from Black's Law Dictionary, it is "A reserve of money held secretly by a company that [had] no accountability for its use". This is exactly what we are talking about. This is a slush fund, so let us stop talking about it being a barter account.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: There was very little accountability about the money going into it.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: You are in charge of the internal controls system. This is money going from RTÉ to a barter account where you do not even know what the money is for. Am I correct?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: You are the financial director. You have the opportunity to raise queries. You did not raise a query about this invoice. Have you raised queries concerning other invoices that were coming in during the last two to three years?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Is that not more reason for asking the question, if you have not?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: When you became aware of the query raised by the auditors, and they obviously were concerned, you still do not appear to have had the same concern, even after the explanation from the then director general.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Did Deloitte raise queries in respect of any other item in the accounts at the time?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Yes.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: This was the only issue?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Colm Burke: Was there not, therefore, an obligation on you to make sure the issue the company had raised was fully investigated?