Results 6,961-6,980 of 10,573 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: If a Garda station is closed and there is a mast located there, will that prevent the sale of the property?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Is there an ongoing cost to maintaining a closed Garda station which has a mast at the location?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: When the Department of Justice and Equality or the Garda authorities were doing up the list of Garda stations to be closed, was the location of masts taken into consideration?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: How many Garda stations that were closed are still in the hands of the OPW?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: What is the cost of maintaining the properties that are in the process of being disposed of?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Moving on to the heritage element of the OPW's brief, the office has a €36 million allocation for visitor attractions. The OPW's heritage card allows visitors to access any OPW site free of charge, but it cannot be purchased online. Why is that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Has the OPW already made an investment in this regard?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: When does Ms McGrath expect that facility to be available to customers?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Does Ms McGrath intend to develop a relationship with Fáilte Ireland?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: How much does it provide?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Going back to leases and property costs, the relevant figure has dropped from €107 million in 2012 to a budgeted cost of €86 million this year. Is it fair to say that in the years leading up to the crash, the public was not getting value for money? If we can now save in excess of €21 million on the property portfolio as budgeted for 2015 versus what was paid in 2012, is...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have a question regarding public procurement. I realise there is a changing role here in the context of the national procurement service and so on. As I understand it, contracts must be advertised on the eTenders website where the cost will be €25,000 or more. Below that cost, the requirement is to secure three quotes. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: If I advertise on that website for a training course in health and safety, say, is it not the case that any service user assessing that advertisement will know that the very fact it is on eTenders means the minimum the OPW or any other procurement agency is prepared to pay is €25,000? Why would any bidder bother submitting an offer of €18,000, for instance, when it is clear the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: However, there is no requirement to do so below €25,000.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: If one is seeking to provide a service to the State and the projected cost is, say, €17,000 or €18,000 but the tender is posted on eTenders, one will know the minimum the relevant public body is prepared to pay is €25,000.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: A competitor would need rocks in his or her head to come in below €25,000.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: My point is that the fact a contract is advertised on eTenders suggests a minimum cost threshold of €25,000. It is counterproductive.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: What is wrong with getting three quotes for every service rather than putting all of them on eTenders where service users know the minimum budget is €25,000?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: However, it surely must be costing the State money.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is a little bizarre that we openly set a minimum and everybody advertises, presumably at the minimum figure. If advertising for something related to health and safety, why would someone come in at the figure of €18,000?