Results 21,441-21,460 of 26,448 for speaker:David Cullinane

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: What is Ms McGrath's understanding of the remit of the interdepartmental co-ordination group and of the steering group when they were first established?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: Earlier Ms McGrath stated there was a balance between getting it right and getting it timely. What is her view of the remit of both of these groups? Was there a lack of clarity? Paragraph 5.10 on page 48 of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General reads:Oversight bodies were established to monitor the implementation of each pilot project and national CFRAM study. However, in the...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: The report states the OPW was unable to provide terms of reference for the steering and progress groups.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: Certainly, questions are raised in the context of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General about the remit and terms of reference for the interdepartmental group and the national steering group. Ms McGrath stated there were no problems, but the report states there were.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: I understand that, but that is another layer of oversight. With regard to the two groups, there seems to be a conflict between what the Comptroller and Auditor General states in the report and what Ms McGrath is saying. The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General does not believe it received sufficient responses from the OPW on this issue.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: What does that mean? They are either in terms of reference or they are not. Were there terms of reference for the groups?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: Why would the group make a decision to go into abeyance and suspend its work? There would have to be logic for this and it would have to go back to its terms of reference. I do not see on what basis this decision was made. It then decided it would reconvene after the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. It seems a bit of a coincidence that a decision was made after the report.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: I am satisfied, from my perspective, that there was a lack of clarity on the terms of reference. I want to move on to the pilot projects as I have a number of questions on them. We know there were cost overruns and overspend. A valid point was made by the Chairman at the start of the meeting, that the information we have on each of the pilots is up to 2014. It would be useful if we could...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: Page 45 of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, paragraphs 4.22 and 4.25, states:OPW has also made payments totalling €1.24 million to principal contractors on two of the pilot projects in compensation for project delays and some additional works that had not been agreed in advance - €636,000 – river Lee pilot - €603,000 – Fingal/East Meath pilot....

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: Ms McGrath accepts then that there was failure. When the report states the Accounting Officer's response was, "I do not agree that the recommended procedures were not in place", is Ms McGrath accepting that was an incorrect statement to make in response to the Comptroller and Auditor General's report? It is on page 51, recommendation 5.3.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: That is not the point being raised. Of course, there was budgets. The point is that there was money paid out in compensation. My reading of the Comptroller and Auditor General's recommendation is that there were not sufficient projections made in relation to budget provision. It did not make proper provisions for VAT. The Comptroller and Auditor General might comment. I believe there is...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: Does the Comptroller and Auditor General accept the response from the OPW?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 92 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Strategic Planning for Flood Risk Management (14 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: I have one last quick question in relation to the submission to the EU on the flood mapping, which was only a fraction of what was to be submitted and the reasons given for that. On the flood risk hazard maps, a decision was taken not to submit them and it might of been for genuine reasons. This may be more of a question for the Comptroller and Auditor General. Should we be cherry-picking...

Au Pair Placement Bill 2016: Second Stage [Private Members] (13 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: I do not doubt that the Bill's authors are well intentioned and want to address a serious issue. I commend them on at least allowing us the opportunity to debate this matter. It is always helpful when people introduce Bills and solutions. If we believed that there was any chance that the Bill could be improved, we would have allowed it to move on to Committee Stage. Previously, we...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: State Bodies Data (13 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: 92. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of staff working in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General; the number of agency workers employed by it; the cost of outside consultancy staff or organisations outside the public service employed or commissioned to do work for it, in each of the years 2011 to 2016 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21449/16]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: State Bodies Data (13 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: 94. To ask the Minister for Finance the cost of increasing the number of staff employed within the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General from 140 to 165; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21552/16]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Data (13 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: 162. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cost of fully unwinding the financial emergency measures in the public interest for all public service and Civil Service workers earning €65,000 a year or less excluding the Lansdowne Road provisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21448/16]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Data (13 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: 163. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cost of fully unwinding the financial emergency measures in the public interest for all public service and Civil Service workers earning €65,001 to €100,000 a year, excluding the Lansdowne Road provisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21450/16]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Data (13 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: 164. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cost of fully unwinding the financial emergency measures in the public interest for all public service and Civil Service workers earning €100,001 plus a year excluding the Lansdowne Road provisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21451/16]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Public Works Properties (13 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: 166. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of buildings the Office of Public Works owns and-or manages; the annual cost of maintaining empty properties or buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21553/16]