Results 12,301-12,320 of 32,978 for speaker:Catherine Connolly

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: I am asking in particular about Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: Like the Chairman, I followed up on the matter. I tried, but I found it difficult to read. I welcome the information provided and the review. That is the first point. It is important to try to understand it and explain it to people. The bottom line is that a sum in the millions is sitting in an account. Completely outside the obligation to hold onto a certain amount, there is other...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: If we could put a timeline on it, I know that we are-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: It will be a difficult day for me, but I do not think we will get to it.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: Sometime.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: I ask for it to be held over.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: There is one letter held over for Galway from the Department on the service level agreement.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: I did.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: I will deal with it now if the Chairman wants.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: It is No. 1698. I welcome that we have a service level agreement finally, which was signed on 6 November 2018 between the Department and Galway 2020. I need a little advice on this from the Comptroller and Auditor General, and there are many questions which I will follow up on separately. I will not take up the committee's time on those as they are not relevant to this. However, I will...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: It is a welcome change that the same person is not doing it but it does not take away my concern that a Department is providing €15 million - which is very welcome - and then has to monitor that. This is the performance level agreement. It contains all sorts of conditions, which is to be welcomed. I am not sure whether the board of directors is subject to freedom of information...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: There is a person from the Department on that board who, I presume, has a loyalty to the board. I have a difficulty around this. Perhaps the Comptroller and Auditor General might have a chance to look at it. I am not asking him to give a value judgment or anything in this regard but, having learned from the Pálas debacle, this is the first time the Department is putting in place a...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: I understand that and I am not asking for that. I am raising the fact that we, as a committee, can have an input in due course. I would like clarification on the monitoring arrangement and on where one's loyalty or duty lies as a representative on the board of Galway 2020 and a member of the Department.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: I would like that point to be clarified somehow because there is a company and a board of directors on which a representative of the Department sits. It seems to me that the Department should take a hands-off approach, but I am no expert.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: To be specific, this is called a performance delivery agreement. It is slightly different. It is about monitoring delivery. The Department's role is laid out on page 4 of the agreement, "The Department will appoint a representative of the Minister to serve on the Board". It is under "c" on page 4. Under "d" it is laid out that there will be bilateral meetings. I want to ask the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: The final thing for us on this committee is the monitoring. There will be quarterly monitoring reports in respect of the drawdown of the money. Can we ask the Department when the first quarterly monitoring meeting as set out under the agreement will take place? It was to take place within a certain time of the signing of the agreement.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: I support that. We should have got that information. I have read and I welcome the documentation, which was very helpful apart from that. When we get that information we will be able to compare it with the existing policy of local authorities. For instance, in Galway there is a major housing crisis so the council is going back to local authority schemes and building infill houses. It...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: I cannot find that on my list.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: The Chairman will give a robust contribution in the Dáil on the motion.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (22 Nov 2018)

Catherine Connolly: There is no follow-up check on that.