Results 9,241-9,260 of 11,348 for speaker:Colm Burke

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the Mental Health Commission report, which contained 49 recommendations. I know that in real terms, it is quite recent but it obviously is important that the report does not gather dust on a shelf. There is obviously a challenge around trying to implement those 49 recommendations and it will not happen overnight. Has a clear plan been set in place to highlight the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the deficiency in the south and south west. Have we been able to deal with that CAMHS deficiency? What additional work needs to be done to provide up-to-date services there, rather than the piecemeal way it was done previously?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Dr. Burke would accept that two days a week is not adequate. That is not two days out of five but two days out of seven.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: If there are difficulties in one area, is there a need to offer an appointment elsewhere? Would a person, for example, work two days in one area and three days in another?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: May I ask a final question?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. Bakhurst, Ms Licken and their staff for coming in this morning. I know the witnesses have gone over the issue of legal privilege repeatedly, but my understanding is that it is normally claimed where there is a risk of creating further claims against the particular authority or board. Is it true there is no risk from releasing these documents? Why is RTÉ being so protective...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: My question is clear. There is no risk of additional legal proceedings occurring as a result of agreeing to release the document; is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Ms Mullooly is saying that if this document were to be released, it could create a platform for further legal proceedings to be issued.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: How is there a risk if there is no likelihood of any claim being made as a result of the document being released?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: The other part of the scenario is that RTÉ is trying to regain the confidence of the general public. If the general public - the people who pay the licence fee - believe that not all the cards are on the table, is that not putting RTÉ more at risk than anything else?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: The general public have stopped paying licence fees-----

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: -----because they do not have confidence as not all the documents are being released.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: The issue here does not relate to any investigation RTÉ is doing. This relates to the functioning of the board as regards the management. The risk here to RTÉ is far greater. The general public have a lack of confidence in it and that confidence can only be restored where there is full disclosure. It is, therefore, to the benefit of RTÉ to make that disclosure. That is the...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the issue of the barter account and the audit committee. There are a number of aspects to the barter account. There was the issue where advertising was provided as a result of people going through the account. Surely the management team within RTÉ was aware of the use of the barter account and that once a person was contracted through the account, RTÉ could not...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: That is not the question I am asking. I am asking whether the legal department was aware of the existence of the barter account.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Senior management were aware of it. There was also advertising made available through the barter account at knockdown prices. Surely more than a handful of people knew about it. Far more people knew about this barter account. Surely someone must have gone to the legal department at some stage and said: "We are doing this with a company. What is your advice?"

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Ms Mullooly is saying there was a whole lot of transactions going on within RTÉ but nobody sought legal advice regarding the fairly substantial amounts involved.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Can I move on----

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I accept that but what I am saying is that quite a number of people knew of its existence; what I am surprised at is that no one within the legal department was aware that if something went through this, it could not be claimed back. Can I just move on----

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Yes, but RTÉ has no right now to claim back any of that money that was paid out through that barter account. It is outside the jurisdiction.