Results 6,481-6,500 of 7,283 for speaker:Josepha Madigan

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: The complainants have not done anything wrong.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: I know, but by saying that it feeds into that narrative. It can come across as insensitive in effect.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: Yes, I will move on but I just wanted to give Ms Higgins the opportunity to respond to those comments because they are about people who have gone through harrowing times and when they listen to that it complicates the situation for them and compounds their suffering. In relation to the limit on the number of services one can apply for and the fact that there was a cut-off point in...

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: Is there no correlation at all?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: What was the reason for the abrupt withdrawal of services? I will talk more about the figures in a moment. It seems to me that a lot of money was spent very quickly on a small number of claims and it was not anticipated that there would be further claims down the line. Ms Higgins accepted that. I know the Comptroller and Auditor General referred to the control over grant payments and the...

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: The files were closed, according to some claimants and they were told they could no longer avail of the services, just like that.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: Ms Higgins does not know.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: Does Ms Higgins think they fabricated that or that it happened?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: Is there anyone with Ms Higgins who would know?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: So Caranua withheld some of the services that were originally provided? Back in 2014 it was advertised that there was no limit. The guidelines, which were published in May 2014 state that there is no limit on the number of services one can apply for. Claimants made claims and abruptly in 2015 they were told that the services could not be provided. I want an explanation for them. I am...

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: Ms Higgins said she did not know whether they were communicated with.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: As far as Ms Higgins is aware, were there no complaints made to Caranua in relation to the services being cut off or withdrawn?

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: People cannot avail of them.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: That is not my understanding.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: I will move on because I am conscious of the time. I apologise if I am being abrupt to Ms Higgins now. I would like her to please look at the expenses, travel and accommodation costs for staff and the board from 1 January 2014 to 21 November 2016. When I looked at this initially for 2014 to 2016, staff expenses, staff accommodation and staff travel looks as if it has gone down but not if...

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: The point I am making is that, bearing in mind the level of media coverage, the complaints made and the Comptroller and Auditor General's 2015 report, it does not appear that any of this was taken into account in 2016, given the level of staff travel and accommodation expenses.

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: Yes. Prior to 2013, expenditure on salaries and wages was €188,000. Ms Higgins referred to people being at the heart and centre of the service. In 2014 expenditure on salaries and wages amounted to €791,000. For that amount, Caranua managed 33,751 calls, of which it only responded to 15,348, less than half the number of calls received. In 2015 expenditure on salaries and...

Public Accounts Committee: Caranua Financial Statements 2014 and 2015 (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: It is included in the information provided for the committee. The information provided tracks incoming post only. In other words, there is no tracking of outgoing post. Despite Ms Higgins' comment on claimants being at the centre of the service, that does not appear to be the case.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Fuel Rebate Scheme (13 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: 69. To ask the Minister for Finance the subsidies available for those using diesel; and his plans to alter these schemes in view of moves in other jurisdictions to move away from diesel. [18856/17]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water Quality (11 Apr 2017)

Josepha Madigan: 313. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the regulations in place with regard to car washes and disposal of related toxins. [18115/17]