Results 2,361-2,380 of 5,580 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: That is the great difficulty the Committee of Public Accounts has: we are also presuming but have very little evidence before us. There is a glaring hole of governance around this fund which is not primarily for Mr. Breen but, as he is the person who makes applications to the High Court to draw down money from the fund, I alert him to the huge concern in the committee. The real concern is...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: These are payments the State Claims Agency has made.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Are none of those currently under the agency’s remit of a similar nature, where security of costs is being sought?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: If a similar request was made now, does Mr. Breen believe the State Claims Agency would make an application?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: In a scenario where security costs were being sought, and I am not pinning Mr. Breen down to a hypothetical situation, would he agree that certain criteria or guarantees around the transparency of any outcome of that case would be an appropriate thing for the State Claims Agency to take on board if it was to apply for security costs in the future?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: For somebody who was not party to the decision, Mr. Breen has been very helpful and the committee members will use the information going forward. There is so much within Mr. Breen's remit that we need more than 15 minutes to explore it and I have unfortunately used a good chunk of it already on last week's committee meeting. I have two questions. Legal costs are always a controversial...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Is it correct that the 2020 figure was €40 million?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: In the carrying out by the State Claims Agency of its own legal strategy, there may be times it will settle a case.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Mr. Breen gave me an answer that legal costs very rarely exceed the settlement amount. Can Mr. Breen provide a breakdown to the committee to assist it in evaluating that? For example, if legal costs are three quarters of the final settlement it could still be worrying, if he knows what I mean.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Does Mr. Breen believe that the size of the legal team the State Claims Agency has - for example there might be two senior counsel on its side - sometimes obliges the other side to match that and have two senior counsel on their side? Has the agency looked at how those costs might contribute to the overall increase?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: That is something I have been alerted to as well. I have one last question. That panel of legal experts the State Claims Agency procures, is it correct that it also uses those same people to carry out the mediation process?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I am being blunt because of the time. It is accepted that barristers operate on an independent basis per case and so on, but it does raise a concern that if an individual is in mediation with the State Claims Agency and the person who is mediating that case is somebody who receives significant income from the State Claims Agency procurement panel, one can imagine how there might be a...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency: Discussion
Chapter 20: Management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme of the Report on the Accounts of Public Services 2021 (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I am out of time. I thank Mr. Breen and I might come back in the second round.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Cycling Policy (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: 22. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on his plans to increase the number of e-bike sharing schemes in Dublin city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10468/23]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Car Test (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: 27. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to improve wait times for NCT tests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10469/23]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Electric Vehicles (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: 162. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the electric SPSV, eSPSV, scheme for small public service vehicles, SPSVs, will reopen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10635/23]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: 163. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the Finglas Luas project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10636/23]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: 164. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the E, F and A spine of the network redesign of BusConnects will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10637/23]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (2 Mar 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: 165. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the Finglas roundabout scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10638/23]