Results 2,941-2,960 of 3,444 for speaker:Shane Cassells

Public Accounts Committee: Dundalk Institute of Technology: Financial Statement 2015 (30 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: I wish the president and staff of Dundalk Institute of Technology the very best.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Financial Services Regulation (30 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: 133. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will review the cases of persons having difficulties accessing the savings of deceased relatives in bank accounts (details supplied); if the Central Bank and-or the Financial Services Ombudsman is inquiring into this on behalf of the families; the oversight of the transfer to the legacy team of a company (details supplied) the Central Bank exercised;...

Report of the Committee of Public Accounts re National Asset Management Agency’s sale of Project Eagle: Motion (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: I thank the Acting Chairman. I express my thanks to the Chairman, Deputy Sean Fleming, for his stewardship of the Committee of Public Accounts and for the report. I also thank fellow committee members and all the staff. As a new Deputy, it was an intriguing report to work on and the financial and political intrigue that evolved as the process went on showed how many players were involved....

Report of the Committee of Public Accounts re National Asset Management Agency’s sale of Project Eagle: Motion (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: The Department of Finance officials were also well able to defend themselves and NAMA. If one reads the transcripts of those hearings, one would see a very certain point emanating from those meetings. When we came to our conclusions about procedurally inappropriate events, the language was very thin. It could have been a lot harder. Daniel McConnell from the Irish Examinerreported after...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: Deputy Cullinane has made his point so we will move on.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: The point is made. The next item is No. 377C, correspondence attaching to the Comptroller and Auditor General's special report No. 97 on the administration and collection of motor tax.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: Can we note the item and discuss it as part of our work programme which is coming back tomorrow? That is noted. We move on to statements and accounts received since the last meeting. These are reports, statements and accounts of bodies audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General which have been laid since last week and they are coming up on the screens now.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: Can we note all of those? Noted. Item No. 5 is the work programme, a copy of which is on screens. Can we agree to finalise that tomorrow? Agreed. People were asking about the appearance of Bord na gCon which will be on 4 May and the Department of Justice and Equality will appear on 11 May. Is that noted? Noted.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: Yes. There is a matter still to be confirmed on 18 May. There being no other business, at this stage we will suspend for a minute while the witnesses take their seats.

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: Last week we met representatives of the Department of Education and Skills and tomorrow we will meet with the six higher education institutions. We are here today to examine the Higher Education Authority financial statements for 2015. The HEA is responsible for the strategic development of the Irish higher education and research system and its purpose is to create a coherent system of...

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: I thank Mr. McCarthy. I call on Dr. Love to make his statement.

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: I thank Dr. Love. Our lead speaker today is Deputy Farrell. I propose that he will have 20 minutes to question the witnesses, if he needs that much, and all other members will have ten minutes. This will help to ensure that we give everyone an opportunity to ask questions and we have the best meeting possible. The clerk and I will keep an eye on the clock and advise members when there are...

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: I thank the Chairman and wish Dr. Love and all who work with him the best in their role. Touching on staffing issues within the third level sector at the moment, obviously expenditure is the key word. Everybody is seeking increased expenditure and investment in terms of attainment for students. Looking at the staffing numbers in certain universities and institutes of technology over the...

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: That is a big fear.

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: In 2010, a HEA report on retention and drop-out rates cited prior educational attainment as having the greatest influence on successful progression. Some of the HEA's reports cited a drop-out figure of one in six. In particular, the HEA examined the drop-out rate among those who got third level places after attaining between 150 and 300 points but did not progress to their second years. I...

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: Is this purely down to funding or should there be a broader discussion? We have one of the highest participation rates in higher education in Europe. It increased from 20% in the 1980s to 58% now. Is the system best suited to the needs of everyone who participates? Is there a correlation between that and participation in further education courses dropping from 36,000 to 32,000 in the same...

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: It was noted that some of the highest drop-out rates were in engineering and computer science courses. Must there be a broader discussion with the Department of Education and Skills on people possibly being driven into undergraduate courses that do not suit their needs?

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: The USI will be across the road later this week or next week over income contingent loans, ICLs, and the fear that they will incentivise graduate emigration, which would undermine the effectiveness of an ICL scheme. Does Dr. Love agree with this analysis?

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: Dr. Love does not believe that there would be higher defaults under such a scheme.

Public Accounts Committee: HEA - Financial Statement 2015 (29 Mar 2017)

Shane Cassells: The international norms where this is used as an option.