Results 1,481-1,500 of 8,745 for speaker:Verona Murphy

Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Statements (20 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: I hope I will not need it all. I have had a good look at and put plenty of thought into the key recommendations. First and foremost, I want to thank those who took part in the assembly. Before I move on to the specifics, based on the engagement I have had at constituent level, I want to highlight the fact a citizens’ assembly is not necessarily representative of the population as a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (20 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: 149. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps her Department is taking to address the staffing crisis facing many primary schools in regard to substitute teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51725/21]

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: I thank the witnesses for attending. Note 6 in the financial statement relating to employment states there has been a significant increase in new contracts with 408 staff taken on by the agency. It was a conversion project -----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: -----and I see there is a €20 million difference. Was any cost associated with the conversion other than the basic pay? Where would that be found in the financial statements?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: Was there any cost associated?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: Where would I find it in the financial statements?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: Okay. It was roughly €700 per employee so in or around €300,000.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: There is significant non-compliance with procurement. It is also stated that it was down €900,000 from last year. It related to Covid expenditure. What exactly was that expenditure? Can it be detailed?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: If that is added back, the agency is in the same position it was last year. If we did not have Covid, there is still the same level of non-compliant procurement. What is Tusla doing about that? It has been ongoing for several years. It is detailed here that it has risen, rather than gone down. Whatever measures are in place are not working.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: That is a very long-winded response for something that does not seem to add up to much. Non-compliance has increased by €3 million in four or five years. What accountability is there? Where is the agency when it comes to accountability for non-compliance?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: What is the agency doing about that? That appears to be where the problem is. Tusla might be identifying it but it does not seem to be rectified.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: I might be misunderstanding. Mr. Smyth refers to localised accountability. Procurement is his department, not that of the people he provides the service to. Am I understanding him correctly? Is he saying some of the contracts are too small and under €25,000 but when consolidated they-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: I do not mean to be rude but the issue is non-compliance is rising, even though every year the issue is raised by the committee. If one were to add back the €900,000 now excused by Covid regulations, non-compliance is up on last year, rather than down. We are the Committee of Public Accounts. It is about value for money and being accountable to the taxpayer for money spent. I have...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: Sorry, that statement-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: If Tusla now has someone working as a procurement officer and we are seeing a rise in non-compliance, I would be very concerned. Mr. Gloster said that as the agency has more money to deal with, it is therefore almost a given that the non-compliance would rise. I cannot understand that. We are talking about accountability.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: I misheard. I am sorry about that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: Let us talk about legal expenditure because I was looking at the State Claims Agency having settled claims. There is quite a large bill for claims. It is up around €60 million. In 2020, the State Claims Agency paid out €6 million but that is not accounted for in Tusla's expenditure. It is not attributed to Tusla at all. It is attributed to the State Claims Agency.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: I am just asking the question. That €6 million is not-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: It is an amount that was paid.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Verona Murphy: Yes, and that is the amount. Some €6 million is the amount for which claims were settled in 2020. That is not in Tusla's income and expenditure report. It is showing a surplus of €10.8 million but if that figure was accounted for, would the surplus be down to €4 million?