Results 5,041-5,060 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Colm Burke: And therefore will not be able to mortgage it.

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for his comprehensive statement on this matter today. I fully support the view that the project should go ahead. I am extremely astonished at the interpretation by some members of the legal profession of what a leasehold title is. As someone who has practised and been involved in the purchase and sale of leasehold title for more than 25 years, it is clear that there is...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank the chancellor and the president very much for being here and for dealing with the queries being raised. With regard to the accounts for 2020, I note that the total expenditure on legal matters was €926,000. That sounds extremely high. Even at €400 an hour, that is 2,320 hours. I am being generous with that €400 an hour. At 40 hours a week, that is 58 weeks...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Perhaps we could be provided with a breakdown of that heading because it gives a very false impression of that issue. The second issue I will raise is one which many people have raised already, the proceedings currently pending that are preventing release of the report. Where are the proceedings at this stage? I presume proceedings have been issued and an appearance has been filed but, as I...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: What is the indication in that regard? If someone does not file a statement of claim, it can obviously be left in limbo for a period. Has the university given instructions to its legal team to be proactive and that if the statement of claim is not filed within a particular period that it should issue a motion for the proceedings to be struck out?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: I know Professor Mey cannot discuss the legal advice given, but if this goes to a full trial, have the legal advisers given a timeframe?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: But we could be talking about anything up to 12 months before we see this report.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: I was involved myself in a case, not acting for a third-level institution, involving an incident in a college which went for a full six days hearing in the High Court. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which ordered a retrial, and it went back into the High Court for a further four days and then back into the Supreme Court again. The third-level college picked up the entire cost of it.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: By the way, the High Court and Supreme Court proceedings were in respect of a dog on the university grounds. I was acting for a totally independent party, but that is how long the case took, and at huge cost to a particular third-level institution. That is going back about 20 years ago and I was acting in a legal capacity. The second issue I want to raise relates to the speculation about...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: So the current valuation for this site for which we paid €8 million is-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: I will just go back to the decision by the governing body to acquire the site. I served on a State board - the board of the Port of Cork - for ten years. When we were purchasing new property we always got two other valuations and that would be the process available. With a 29-member board, how come nobody raised that question in regard to this purchase?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: But the governing body was not presented with anything in writing to that effect.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: When I served on the board we always insisted on getting the actual written documentation to cover ourselves as board members. I am surprised that a 29-member board would not have some legal expertise to protect everyone on the board.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: But it did leave the members of the board very exposed because they had not seen-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Is there not a message in that, in the sense that when a presentation like that is brought to a board and people are there to protect the public interest, they should look for something to be set out clearly in writing?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: When this issue arose, did the governing body feel there was a need to review other projects?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Were there other projects where property was acquired? Was it satisfied that all the boxes were ticked regarding valuations for previous projects?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: I wish to ask about long-term planning in the university. Does Professor Mey feel further development is required but that it has been restricted as a result of what has occurred in this case?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: It would be helpful to the committee if we could find out the kind of time period for which the university is restricted from publishing its report. Are we talking about three months, six months, 12 months or 18 months?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
University of Limerick Financial Report 2020 (12 May 2022)

Colm Burke: In the 2020 report, it is stated the university employs 1,868 people and that its subsidiaries employ 292 people. Are the witnesses satisfied that there are adequate checks and balances to ensure that those subsidiaries are complying with all the rules and regulations relating to employment, etc.? What is the connection?