Results 13,581-13,600 of 21,090 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: I just want to flag to the committee that I will return to that issue. I am going to try to break down some of those costs and I will return to the matter in the coming weeks.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: I just want to hold it as regards commentary because there is a bit of work to be done in that regard.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: Yes, I have no problem with that at all.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: Appendix 1 is very interesting. During the crisis the Minister made a decision to provide for free screening, a decision that had profound consequences. I will not criticise him for making it because one could take the argument either way, but the introduction of free screening has had serious consequences for the screening programme. The delay is now 20 weeks, which is having a...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: To be honest, as somebody interested in the detail, it was the first time I had become aware of it.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: Effectively, we have deciphered two things, one of which is that costs related to the laboratories are secret or not being broken down indicating the cost per smear. The second is that, effectively, free screening was not offered. What was done was a woman's next test was brought forward. Essentially what is being said is that the women concerned will now go to the back of queue.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: They will come for a routine test in three to five years.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: The slides go out of date, but the knock-on consequences down the line could affect women's health and result in other cases of negligence or other issues because they were not dealt with within the appropriate timeframe.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: I am not sure about that and do not agree with the Chairman.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: The Chairman is over-thinking this.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: We need clarity.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: Three years.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: I agree with the previous speaker. The last paragraph warrants further clarification. We need to break down what is included in that paragraph further.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: I have a history on this matter. When I was a Minister some years ago, I provided the first funding for one of these schemes. At that stage, the Department of the Environment and Local Government rather than the Department of Justice and Equality had responsibility for the matter. The funding was provided to pilot a CCTV scheme in the Chairman's county. It is up and running and has been...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: This is a bit confusing. Employee assistance helplines, as we know from dealing with protected disclosures and all of that, should be mandatory and that is why I asked for a list of when they were put in place. We can see that it was done in some institutions in accordance with the timeframe, in some others it was done beforehand, and in others it was done quite late. It is alarming that...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: I genuinely do not know. If people have issues in regard to their personal wellness and are dealing with these organisations, I understand that.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: When we write to the HEA, we should ask if it is satisfied that these organisations can deal with any issues employees could have, particularly issues that could potentially end up as protected disclosures or corporate issues relating to the institution.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: They might deal with corporate issues. On one last point, could the HEA also provide an explanation as to the wide timeframe in regard to putting in place these helplines?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: I concur with Deputy Murphy that the Minister should appear before the committee. I spent four hours at the meeting of the Joint Committee on Health yesterday going through this issue. It was useful in terms of what the Committee of Public Accounts will be doing for separate reasons. Prior to the meeting, I was not fully aware of certain facts. The board that was set up is a publicly...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)

Alan Kelly: They are the same person. There is a chairperson and there is an individual who is almost a direct liaison construction officer. I ask that those persons, whose names I will provide to the Chair, appear, along with Mr. Dean Sullivan.