Results 18,521-18,540 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: The Government is tying itself up in knots trying to explain the screeching U-turns on the cuckoo funds. Yesterday, the Taoiseach said this capitulation to cuckoo funds had been signalled when the stamp duty increase was announced in May. However, when Deputy Donohoe announced this measure, he said three bodies would be exempt: local authorities, approved housing bodies and the Housing...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: The Minister described this as a short-term emergency measure - for 25 years. Let us just talk about what this entails. A builder builds a housing estate and a cuckoo fund comes in and buys it in its entirety. It is exempted from the 10% stamp duty because it will lease it to the local authority. The local authority will pay the equivalent, if not more, in terms of a mortgage for 25...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (8 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: 161. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider expanding the extension period for learner driver permits to cover those that were unable to access lessons during level 5 restrictions. [36891/21]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (8 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: 249. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an enhanced school meals programme for 2022 and beyond; if she has consulted with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in this regard; and if she has requested additional funding for the school meals programme for future years. [36865/21]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (8 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: 250. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to allocate additional funding in respect of the school meals programme for 2022 and beyond. [36866/21]

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Dr. Wall and his team are very welcome. Time is limited so I will try to be as brief as possible with my questions and I would appreciate if the witnesses would give me brief replies so that I can get through the questions I want to ask. The HEA is the statutory funding authority for all the higher education institutes on the capital and current sides. In particular, I wish to pay...

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Would Dr. Wall say that was a truthful statement of governance or the arrangements at that point in respect of the Dunnes Stores site?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Knowing what the HEA knows now, if every university was to do what UL did, how would the authority control the capital budget? What was the estimate to begin with? What were those involved provided with? What has the HEA committed to in the funding of this particular site?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Does Dr. Wall agree with Professor Mey that this is far from best practice?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: To be honest, the expression used was "not picked up". That is pretty tame stuff when we consider there is non-compliant procurement in respect of the consultant. That was a finding from the Comptroller and Auditor General. That is not at issue. It is a significant governance failure. The university put forward three proposals and Dunnes Stores was not part of that. It was suboptimal in...

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: There are borrowing limits and the HEA controls certain borrowing limits. Was this something that cropped up in that respect or in respect of any other site in terms of a controlling mechanism of the HEA? I accept that the authority's remit is limited and that legislation is required. I have said as much repeatedly at meetings of the committee during the previous Dáil. Is that...

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: The governance here and how this happened is deplorable. Surely the HEA can acknowledge that.

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: I want to move on to another topic relating to the accumulated debts in Waterford, the Institute of Technology, Tralee and the National College of Art and Design. IT Tralee is now joined with Cork Institute of Technology. How is that going to be handled? Will CIT accumulate the debt? How is it intended to reduce the deficit?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Is Dr. Wall satisfied that there is a means of dealing with this?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: There was a difference in funding in 2020 because of Covid. There was an increased income of €263 million and a lot of additional places, some of which were split places, were provided. Has the HEA factored that into how that is going to run from 2020 onwards because courses will run over a period of time?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Could Dr. Wall give us a projection of those for those five years? If he could send that to us in a note, it would be helpful. Did the HEA have any concerns about the use by the institutions of the additional funding?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Is a third party carrying out an audit?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Who is that?

Public Accounts Committee: Higher Education Authority: Financial Statements 2019 (1 Jul 2021)

Catherine Murphy: Is the HEA concerned that anything is likely to be shown up here? Has the HEA identified anything of concern?