Results 681-700 of 7,777 for speaker:Joe Costello

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: His statement that 30 years after the building of the Synchrolift and boatyard all of the painters, electricians, mechanics, engineers and other tradesmen are still working out of the backs of vans is very damning. We should redraft our report in view of what has come back already. The report we received was very comprehensive, plus the information in this letter.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: Has there been any progress in the handling of court cases in the Chief State Solicitor’s office and the Courts Service?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: Did we get an answer on the anomalies in the two different reports on Thornton Hall?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: How is our report going on the Docklands, in respect of Hanover Quay and the Jeanie Johnston? There were reports in the media at the weekend about it.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: I will leave it in the Chairman’s capable hands to expedite it.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: A vote has been called in the Dáil.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: Could Ms O'Donoghue update me on the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, FEAD? This programme was negotiated with the EU two years ago. It was a replacement for one of the oldest schemes of vouchers for items such as butter, which were given to the most deprived. The scheme was put in place about 18 months ago. European funding is coming to Ireland to the level of €3.5...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: Most other European countries have already drawn down their funding. We are losing out on a significant amount of funding for the most deprived. Crosscare and Brother Kevin Crowley are looking to see where this money is. No steps seem to have been taken by the Department to draw down this money. Why is that the case?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: To you-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: With due respect, it would have come to the Department at exactly the same time as it came to other countries in the EU. How come they have drawn down the money and the Department has not?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: My understanding is that it is up to the Government to draw it down, and the Department of Social Protection is the relevant Department.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: NGOs cannot avail of the funding until the Department draws it down.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: But it has not been done, and other countries have done it. My question relates to why the Department has not done it. What is the problem?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: I understand that Belgium, Italy, Spain, France, Poland and Lithuania all drew down funding in 2004. Whatever the logistics are, if there is money out there that Ireland should have, it should be expedited.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: I should hope so, but various NGOs have planned for the arrival of this money. They have put distribution mechanisms in place to deal with it, but the money has not been forthcoming.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: No, 2014. It was available last year and could have been drawn down. It was negotiated at EU level, and other countries have drawn it down to some extent.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: Some of the drawing down could be in advance of the actual period, so my understanding is that it could have been drawn down from the autumn.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: What could have been drawn down in 2014 has not been drawn down, and we do not know what will happen in 2015 and 2016. The information I have has come from Crosscare in particular, which has outlined that it has made plans for distribution on the basis that this money was available and, therefore, put its mechanisms in place to distribute the funds which would provide food to the needy in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: The funding did not exist before last year. Every country received the funding for the first time. It is a new programme, so it is no good saying it was only made available to the Department last year. It was only made available to all 28 countries in the EU last year. How were they able to put the mechanisms in place and why can we not have this expedited?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013 (28 May 2015)

Joe Costello: I accept that. We should get a full explanation for the delay, why the logistics have not been in place, when they will be put in place and when the funding will be available to NGOs that are waiting for it.