Results 4,841-4,860 of 20,385 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: It is good to hear that. I have a couple of questions around the issue of agents before we finish. It is fair to say it is an issue that has come up. It has been one of the problematic issues, among a large number of issues, that have arisen at RTÉ. Have new procedures been put in place for dealing with agents?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: That is fine. Mr. Bakhurst's second point is absolutely clear to me. I want to tease out the first part of his response. He said he is not meeting with some agents. Does that mean that as director general he will meet with some other agents?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Everything has to be signed off and any contract has to be signed off by the leadership team.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: We will not have a situation where a director general basically rubber-stamps a deal, using their authority. Is that correct? The chief financial officer-----

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Obviously, Mr. Bakhurst said that he goes through them. To be clear, my point is that he will not be taking that decision alone. It is a shared decision.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Okay. Some changes have been noticed. I do not want to personalise this, and I am not referring to any particular contract, but obviously there may be an agent or agents who are handling a number of people, top presenters or significant figures in RTÉ. Has Mr. Bakhurst given thought to or put anything in place in terms of not allowing an agent to have undue influence by virtue of the...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Does Mr. Bakhurst see the risk?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: He can see a risk in future.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Is Mr. Bakhurst actively encouraging the situation where presenters or talent, as they are referred to at times, can negotiate directly with RTÉ?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: I understand that.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Football players and others use agents.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: I understand that RTÉ does not control all the levers, but it is an issue of concern.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): Discussion (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Okay. That concludes our questioning. I know there have been some robust exchanges back and forward. Before we conclude, I wish to state that nobody was questioning the professional integrity or the professionalism of the legal services at RTÉ. There is a difference of opinion. At the start of the meeting, I said that I and other members have disagreed with RTÉ's decision not...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: The minutes of our meeting of 5 October 2023 have been circulated to members. Do members wish to raise any matters in relation to the minutes? Are the minutes agreed? Agreed. As usual, the minutes will be published on the committee's web page. The next item to be dealt with is accounts and financial statements. Three sets of accounts and financial statements were laid before the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: A number of matters of serious concern arose in 2022 with regard to An Bord Pleanála's operation. There have been well publicised reviews and reports. The statement outlines the status of these reviews. The only other issue of note is the penalties incurred by the board in 2021, 2022 and 2023 relating to delays. We may bring An Bord Pleanála before the committee again. Does any...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Deputy Murphy is happy enough to deal with everything in one session.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: Deputy Murphy suggests we try to deal with the whole lot on 26 October. Does any member disagree? Deputy Murphy has made a valid point on having all of the organisations in the room at the same time.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2023)

Brian Stanley: We will need to keep the list short because otherwise it would dilute the engagement. We should keep it to funding and governance issues for Uisce Éireann, questions that come up for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and housing delivery for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. That is the main part of our focus.