Results 13,701-13,720 of 26,628 for speaker:John McGuinness

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: Would Mr. McCarthy have the inclination at any time to stray into the policy area and perhaps suggest to the college what it should be doing?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: Should we take it up with that Department in that case?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: Its representatives will be in next week.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: No. Is it not the HEA?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: I could make an issue of this but will not delay the meeting. The college just continues doing what it wants to do. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is like a dog barking in the distance; it can be heard but, since it is so far away, it can be ignored in the belief it will go away. The threshold of €60,000 applies when it should be €25,000. Mr. McCarthy brings...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: As Deputy Nolan says, it is also an issue for the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills. We will have it before us again in December. Perhaps it is an issue for next Thursday and the following week.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: I agree with Deputy O'Donovan. So as not to delay this meeting, perhaps we should agree first to send a transcript of the proceedings of this meeting and the various questions that have been asked to the president for his response. Then we can judge what we will do thereafter, or the best course of action to take. I invite Mr. McCarthy to comment on No. 4.3.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: I ask members to note all of these statements and accounts. We will move on to No. 5, which is our work programme. It is now on the screen. Next week, representatives from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will come before us. I will ask the clerk if it would be possible to give us a list of the various breaches of procurement by the different universities, institutes of...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: At the hearing with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine we were promised that we would, within a week, have a written rebuttal of all the points and issues raised by members in the ten different cases we discussed. Despite of our giving the Department a reminder every single week since then, we have not received a reply as promised. As Deputy McDonald has now raised the matter...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: I think it was about two or three months ago. It was in July.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: It is July since they were here and it was promised within a week. This feeds in to the whole issue of poor responses from Departments and agencies to the committee. It simply has to change. We are in the dying moments of this game but I would encourage any future members of the Committee of Public accounts to be absolutely vigilant in their work and intolerant of the types of responses we...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: We would have sent our recommendations to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for the line Minister. The Department will appear before the committee next week. That correspondence, along with the fact that we have been waiting some time for that response from the Department, should be raised with the Department. It would be appropriate then to deal with that correspondence....

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: It is before the Seanad.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: We will take it up next week as an agenda item.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: Did the Deputy give some names to the clerk?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee. (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: We can set a date to meet those individuals before the Christmas break. We will invite the witnesses in now.

Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: I remind members, witnesses and those in the Gallery to turn off their mobile phones as they interfere with the sound quality and transmission of the meeting. I draw the attention of witnesses to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. However, if they are directed by...

Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: I also welcome Mr Barry Donoghue, Accounting Officer of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: We are also joined by Mr. Dermot Quigley, principal officer, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The witnesses are all very welcome. I invite the Comptroller and Auditor General to make his opening statement.

Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor (12 Nov 2015)

John McGuinness: I thank Mr. O'Daly and call Mr. Donoghue.