Results 2,981-3,000 of 6,345 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: 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-----

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 decision. How much was that a factor in the Department's decision to be persuaded that it was something to pursue? Do not forget that it was already sort of accepted that the State was on the hook here by way of the ICF.

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 was in a very difficult position because, by virtue of the Act, it was likely that it was going to be able to secure the funds from the ICF in any case. Therefore, the idea of offering the letter of comfort was really an attempt to try to mitigate the risk.

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 accept all that. My question, though, was that prior to the 2018 amendments, the Department would not have been in that bind. Would it be fair to say that prior to 2018, when the amendment was introduced by the Department, it would not have had that Hobson's choice or Solomon's choice of knowing that the State was already on the hook?

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: To clarify my question, I am really trying to interrogate why that 2018 amendment was brought forward.

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: Okay. I have one brief final question. Does Mr. McGrath believe it would have been possible for the administrator to apply for funds to pursue for securities of costs prior to the 2018 amendments?

Committee on Public Petitions: Public Petition on Lil Reds Legacy Sepsis Awareness Campaign: Engagement with the HSE (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I will start by saying a few "thank-you's" to the committee, because Karen and Joe made the petition directly. I was not aware of the Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen until they made the petition directly. The committee has been really strong in taking this up and pursuing it. I thank the witnesses for being here. For people at such a senior level to be here acknowledges...

Committee on Public Petitions: Public Petition on Lil Reds Legacy Sepsis Awareness Campaign: Engagement with the HSE (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I have a final question. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his discretion. What the witnesses said is really useful. Every time we say the word "sepsis" in here it is a few hundred more times than it was said before. It is great to just be having the conversation and to hear the witnesses' insights. It is interesting in terms of research. There are communities where sepsis has become more...

Committee on Public Petitions: Public Petition on Lil Reds Legacy Sepsis Awareness Campaign: Engagement with the HSE (20 Apr 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Before Senator Murphy comes in, I have a short question to Dr. Henry to follow on from Deputy Higgins's comments. What I am hearing is that if too many people are asking if something could be sepsis, they could also be asking for antibiotics in a case where it would not be appropriate and then we could have a situation where those antibiotics would not be effective on the people who would...