Results 5,941-5,960 of 34,779 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: My view is we had Mr. Watt before the committee a number of weeks ago to talk about capital projects. We listed all of the projects, starting with the national children's hospital and on through ten major projects. We had a discussion with Mr. Watt on the national broadband plan. A member of the committee - perhaps it was the Deputy - asked him whether he thought it should go ahead. He...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: I concur with Deputy Cullinane's views. It is good to see this happen and nice to know that not everybody sings from the one hymn sheet. It is also good to see one line Department challenging another. That is useful and it is good that this information has been published. The correspondence is very important and if there is further correspondence from the Department of Communications,...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: I take that point.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: I take the Deputy's point. Clearly, the meeting was not cancelled for political reasons but because of the volume of information that had come out in the previous 24 hours. To enable us to produce a report, I thought we needed to assess the information that had only became available before we would sign off on it. The Deputy is correct. The meeting was not cancelled for political reasons-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: I take the Deputy's point completely.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: Can the committee agree to make that request of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight, that it examine this matter?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: Can we all agree?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: Let Deputy Catherine Murphy finish.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: We will ask the secretariat to put a letter together to the Committee on Budgetary Oversight covering the points that have been raised asking the committee to examine them.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: That will be a budget day matter. We will note and publish this documentation and incorporate it into our report on housing. The next item is No. 2123B, from Mr. Martin Fraser, Secretary General at the Department of the Taoiseach, dated 17 April, regarding our request for details on the whole-of-government approach to risk assessment. We will note and publish this document.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: Very good. I hope they are all costed.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: Give it half an hour. The next item is No. 2124B, from Mr. Denis Breen of the Department of the Taoiseach, pointing out what the Department sees as an inaccuracy in periodic report No. 5 regarding the filing date for the Appropriation Account 2016 for the President's Establishment. Our report states that we drew attention to the fact that the Appropriation Accounts were filed in September...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: -----by the end of March, within the time. We are happy to note that and put it on the record. When we get a report back from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding our periodic report, we will reconfirm the matter at that stage and discuss it again. I am delighted to see every line we write is scrutinised so closely. I am impressed. It is good. We will come back to...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: Is the Deputy referring to the Limerick or Waterford institute?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: They are looking at that. On Deputy Cullinane's suggestion, I would say that we have so much going on here even if we go through the whole process the only possible good outcome at the end is that the Department or the Minister appoints an inspector, so why not do it now? We can go around in circles. They have come to the conclusion that the HEA did not have the authority to commission the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: Can we get agreement just so everyone understands? The HEA commissioned a report into the Waterford Institute of Technology. The report was completed but there was an issue because at the end of the day it transpired that the HEA may not have had the legal authority to commission that particular investigation. The authority to carry out such an investigation is only vested in the Minister...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: An investigator. This has been going on for a couple of years at this stage and it will continue. They can wrap up those other things as they go along. What has already been done may or may not be able to feed into this new situation, but at this stage it is the only way of bringing the matter to a conclusion.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: Is that agreed? Agreed. I remind members that earlier we had said that the committee would not publish that report, which was received, in case it prejudices anything or in case we attach parliamentary privilege to a particular document. That attached correspondence will not be published. No. 2128B from Mr. Martin O'Brien, the chief executive of the Louth Meath Education and Training...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (9 May 2019)

Seán Fleming: I propose that we to write back to the director-general acknowledging her correspondence. She has indicated that the original timeline of the end of June for completion of the review will not be met until the second half of the year. I agree that the issues Deputy Cullinane has raised should be incorporated into the review. There is no point in doing a review without dealing with those...