Results 28,941-28,960 of 33,581 for speaker:Catherine Connolly

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Is it usual to have to pick up on such a thing from an organisation covered by the Comptroller and Auditor General? Is it usual to have to come back to an Accounting Officer over such issues?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Were these things absent in this case?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I thank the Chair for his clarification. I did issue a cautionary word this morning in regard to this. These are the most serious issues that have arisen from the report that we discussed last week. I do not think that we should make statements, as Chairman or otherwise, or even in the media, in regard to this. There is a process under way and we should give it our full attention. We do...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: That was the issue and that is what I said this morning. The reports were produced, they were signed off by the Accounting Officer, who happens to be the Commissioner, and there was no caveat or indication that difficulties had been discovered. On top of that, the comments in the Dáil from the Taoiseach, do not help. He referred to this as a legacy issue and he made reference to the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I have a number of questions for Mr. Waters. Did the Department of Justice and Equality ever give permission to any garda to open an account, not to mention 50 accounts?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: There are a lot of questions I wish to ask on direct provision and other matters, but I have a few quick questions that have arisen. I am not into demonising any organisation. We need An Garda Síochána. We had its representatives and the Department of Justice and Equality before us at the last meeting. Questions for the Department of Justice and Equality and An Garda...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I am sorry, I am mixed up. Is Mr. Clifford saying that permission was necessary under the Act of 2005?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Was permission given?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: What was necessary before 2005? Did An Garda Síochána have a free hand to open as many accounts as it wished?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: What would have been the restrictions or obligations on it?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: It was required then as well.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Therefore, is whether permission was given 48 or 50 times not a very simple question that demands a simple reply? We need clarification on how many accounts there were, because sometimes it seems to be 42, sometimes it is 48 and sometimes it is 50. I will take the easier figure of 50.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Does that not go to the heart of the matter in terms of trust? A working group was set up. What has been happening? Is this not a fundamental question? How could so many accounts have been opened without permission? If permission was given, let us have proof of that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: At this time of the evening, as I seem to be the last Deputy, or one of the last to speak, tiredness is getting to me. That is a fundamental question that should be answered and should certainly be answered before Mr. Waters appears before the committee again. Companies were formed. As I understand it gardaí of higher rank and lower rank were directors. Was permission given for that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Mr. Waters should have. I am sorry, we should have this information. This came up. He is fully aware of this in respect of the directors. Did they have permission to do that? The Department of Justice and Equality should be in a position to tell us.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Did they have permission? Can gardaí form companies using public moneys?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: We are not talking about 1992.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: There are no records in the Department of Justice and Equality.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Has the Department done a timeline and looked at the interim audit from its point of view and what was brought to its attention? Has it looked at that and noticed a half-completed report in 2006? What was the Department of Justice and Equality's response to that in 2006?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriations Account (Resumed)
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (Resumed)
Chapter 6 - Procurement and Management of Contracts for Direct Provision (Resumed) (11 May 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I was giving out earlier about people making statements and I am reluctant to do so but I have no confidence in what I have heard today and on the last occasion. I simply do not. There was a report in 2006, that seems to be incomplete. There was a report in 2008 that went to the Commissioner, who acted, and which went back to the person in charge of Templemore, who said that the money...