Results 3,521-3,540 of 11,187 for speaker:Colm Burke

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: That is the number in employment.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: How does that then affect the issue of accommodation? These people are obviously earning money. Are they required to make a contribution towards the cost of accommodation?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: Turning to Turkey, many people there are now without accommodation. I have been contacted by several families whose members are Irish citizens but who came originally from Turkey. They have family there whom they now want to try to assist. Has there been any discussion with the Department of Justice concerning this issue of people from Turkey who may need temporary accommodation here? I...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: I accept that. Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: One of the issues about inquiries is that one may start off by thinking it will last a very short period of time, but the problem is that the costs go way up once the inquiries continue for any length of time at all. That is where the problem is.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: If an inquiry is being conducted where there are individuals who could be adversely affected, then they have legal recourse and are entitled to have the protection of legal representation. This is where the problem then arises. Everyone looks for their own independent legal team. Then the costs start escalating.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: It might be worth looking to know what is done in other jurisdictions. Then again, part of the problem is because of the limited powers that we have as a Committee of Public Accounts. It means that we cannot do a huge level of investigation in real terms.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: And how that can be implemented taking into account constitutional limitations.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: May I raise an issue?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: I raised an issue last week about one particular person who was on to me looking for us to consider correspondence he would send in. I understand there was correspondence received by the office but it is not on our list. In fairness to the office, it was explained to me why it was not on the list.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: Yes. I asked the person to write in on the basis it would be put on the list.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: I ask that the letter that was sent in be put on the list for next week.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: Okay, that is grand.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: I thank the Chair.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Nursing Home Charges: Department of Health (15 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: Before I start, I want to declare that I acted in a legal capacity - and the Secretary General is aware of this - against the Department of Health and the health boards starting in 2004 in relation to these nursing home cases, and, in fact, I acted in the settlement of both public and private cases. In fairness to the people before us, some of this goes back as far as 1956, if you go through...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Nursing Home Charges: Department of Health (15 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: If there is clear evidence that someone had looked for a public bed in a public nursing home, could not get a public bed and ended up in a private nursing home, is there not now a need to set up a structure to allow that funding, the moneys such people paid over, to be refunded to them?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Nursing Home Charges: Department of Health (15 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: Yes, but the legal cases have never been decided and, as I have openly declared, I am no longer involved in any of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Nursing Home Charges: Department of Health (15 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: The issue still arises that there are quite a number of people who did not take cases but who feel aggrieved by the fact that they could not get a public bed and did not get any State support, even though they were technically entitled to State support. Has the Department looked at that issue? How does it propose to progress it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Nursing Home Charges: Department of Health (15 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: Does the Department intend to look at it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Nursing Home Charges: Department of Health (15 Feb 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the matter of the people who were in facilities and were not refunded. I am talking about public facilities where charges were deducted. Will the Department now look at that issue?