Results 6,181-6,200 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: The water framework directive dates to 2005. We are still not meeting the target. We are only at 50% at this stage. There have been two reports this week from the EPA, one of which the Minister has cited. If this is not about a shortage of money, it is very concerning that plans have not been provided to the EPA with targets for those other 27 projects. I also have concerns about the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: In his opening statement, Mr. Moloney talked about strategic policymaking in terms of the transformation of the public service and stated that it was vital that public expenditure be managed in a planned, balanced and evidence-informed manner, and I completely agree. That is why I continue to find it difficult to see the rationale of ceasing to use Benefacts, a large database for the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Is there any reason it would not be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and be publicly available?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: The Central Statistics Office, CSO, in correspondence with this committee, talked about its reliance on Benefacts in regard to EUROSTAT. We could be exposed to fines eventually. For the next year or two, the CSO will be able to project, from the base information that was provided by Benefacts, what they might be but that information will be exhausted over a short period. What is Mr....

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Did Mr. Moloney consider offering it to the Department of the Taoiseach given the Minister of State at that Department has a function in respect of the CSO? Was that view canvassed? Was there engagement with that Department?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Did Mr. Moloney’s Department ever use the information provided by Benefacts in respect of, for example, pay and pensions? Was that function used?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: The Department made no use of Benefacts in respect of pay and pensions and extrapolating that information.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Mr. Moloney can categorically say it was not ever used.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: The analytics side of Benefacts was quite a powerful tool. It was very useful for internal audit, for example. Tusla, for example, expressed an interest in its continuation for precisely that reason, the internal audit process. Was anything done to assess the impact of the loss of Benefacts on Tusla and how that might manifest? Funders such as the Department of Health, the HSE, the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: I have to say, I have come to the conclusion Benefacts was too transparent. We have this supposedly open Government approach but I do not see how that can manifest without tools such as this one, which was working, usable and being used and which had potential other uses. When it comes to value for money, starting a project, getting it to that point and then ceasing it seems to be the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: We got correspondence last week in regard to the very large number of section 38 and section 39 organisations. I would say they make up a sizeable portion of the not-for-profit sector, at least in terms of the finances. I presumed Benefacts would have had potential to identify asset ratios and so on in that kind of scenario.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Obviously that overview is gone now with the database having ceased. I want to move on to the business case for the national maternity hospital. Regarding the single lot multi-supplier framework for sourcing independent reviews, is there a schedule of preferred providers? Who is on that list and how does a company get onto the list?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: I asked about the multi-supplier framework for sourcing independent reviews. Is there a list of preferred providers?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: I ask Mr. Moloney to please do that. Were weaknesses identified in the business case for the national maternity hospital?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: I received a reply to a parliamentary question from the Department of Health that would indicate there are some weaknesses. It is very important that this is looked at.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Yes. This is with regard to the Eversheds Sutherland report on RTÉ. There is of gun to the head of the staff for this Friday. Pension entitlements, maternity leave and all the other issues have not been fully worked out. We should contact the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications as a matter of urgency to say this is not fair. People are being asked to make a...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: They do not have adequate information.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: RTÉ has not closed off the information on entitlements. It is not fair to ask people to make a decision. Given that this has been one of the issues we have pursued, it would be remiss of us not to point that out.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: 2. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps she will take to ensure that the recruitment of new gardaí and civilian staff following the budget 2023 allocation to her Department will meet the announced target; if she has engaged with Garda management in respect of the new recruitment campaign; and the date on which it will commence. [52296/22]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2022)

Catherine Murphy: This question relates to Garda recruitment and the announced targets, for which funding has been provided. What is the Minister's role in ensuring those targets are met? Does she engage with the Garda Commissioner about recruitment campaigns? Is she satisfied with a situation where targets are not met? What engagement is there to ensure targets are met?