Results 2,561-2,580 of 5,933 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Let me-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I think Mr. Hogan is right there.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I would love to have a forum where I can ask a question about why public funds were used for security of costs for a case that had entirely private parties. I would love to have a forum where I could ask what conditions were put in place for the use of State resources, for example, that there would be full transparency and no confidentiality clause that precluded State bodies from being...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I am a Member of the Oireachtas. I am not a subscriber to a newspaper. Information regarding public funds should be made available to me by public servants who report to this House and not by newspaper articles. I am not suggesting Mr. Hogan is responsible for that. The Department of Finance has a policy responsibility in this area to bring forward legislative changes where I identify a...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: We can discuss it in private session. We asked the participants to come back with more senior representation, and for good reason because Mr. Hogan says he is as comfortable as possible. It is very clear that even with the most senior representation in the room the committee still cannot get to the bottom of why public funds - I see the Comptroller and Auditor General indicating-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The Comptroller and Auditor General has referenced this in terms of the notes to the accounts that are being prepared. It would be useful that it be considered.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: That is great. I thank McCarthy.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Let us come back to the €29 million. We have reached the limit on the governance side. As regards the discussion on whether there will be a transfer of funds or letter of comfort issued, will Mr. Hogan talk us through that process? Who issued the letter of comfort? I should reference it is a letter the Department of Finance issued a copy of to the committee in April. That is for...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: In 2014, there were some discussions between the joint administrators, the Department and the ICF in regard to-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: In 2021.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The Department had no interaction with the joint administrator in advance of that. In our earlier discussion, we essentially established that the administrator had a right to apply for this to the High Court and it did. Those funds were to be made available. Is it correct that the idea of a letter of comfort was obviously an attempt by the Department to provide an alternative?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: At that stage, the 2018 amendment referenced by the Comptroller and Auditor General was already in place, whereas prior to 2018 it would not have been in place.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Clearly, when a letter of comfort is being issued, there is still potential that those costs may be incurred, and €29 million is a very significant amount of money. Was there any cost-benefit analysis, or any analysis, of the likely chance of winning?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The State has ultimately benefited from that case being taken.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I admit it was not to the benefit of recouping the entire cost of the Quinn Insurance debacle but there has been benefit as a result of taking the case.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The query is it could not have benefited it as well. There is a scenario that the cost of both the administrator and the other side would have been very considerable. Would that be fair?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: It could have been €29 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: It was a very considerable calculation by the Department. That €29 million is a huge amount of money. We have established that it is very difficult to interrogate the Governor regarding the decision of the President of the High Court, but the Department was clearly involved in making that calculation when it talked about issuing a letter of comfort.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I do not disagree with Mr. Hogan. It was ultimately a commercial or a speculative decision and I accept that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Chapter 14 - Assessment and Collection of Insurance Compensation Fund Levies (Resumed)
Report on Administration and Movement of the Insurance Compensation Fund for the year ended 31 December 2021 (Resumed)
Comptroller and Auditor General Section 2 Report on Unauthorised release of funds from the Central Fund of the Exchequer (Resumed) (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: We discussed earlier the application to the President of the High Court and the fact that sums would have been released by virtue of-----