Results 7,041-7,060 of 10,843 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: However, the route is set down.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: As a result, there is no distinction regarding the frequency or the number of stops on the different tenders. The bus will be provided by the NTA. I presume there is a standard for servicing. The tenderer will not get an award without committing to bring the bus in for regular servicing. Ultimately, the only distinction is how much profit the company intends to make and how much it will...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: Ms Graham will acknowledge-----

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: Is it fair to say that if I get on one bus versus another bus the only difference will be the terms and condition of the person driving the bus?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: Perhaps Mr. Gaston could outline if the NTA has actually examined the terms and conditions of the different operators' staff and compared them with those for the State-owned operators.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: I would appreciate a further briefing on that if it could be provided in writing. It appears that we have privatised and are continuing to privatise an increasing number of routes, and the only real impact has been on the terms and conditions of the people who are employed.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: To clarify my position, if you have a service that was previously operated by a State-owned company and it is subsequently operated by a private company, that is the de facto definition of privatisation.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am outlining what I consider to be privatisation.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: This is actually worse, because we are going so far as to provide the bus. Everything is the same. The only difference is in how the company makes a profit and how the staff are being remunerated.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: I have a couple of points for clarification. On the special EU programmes body, Mr. McCarthy has indicated this is done in conjunction with the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland. How does that work if there are essentially two audit processes?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: Okay. On Fáilte Ireland, Mr. McCarthy mentioned an issue with pension liability. Is that an issue for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform or the line Department? With whom should we correspond to get clarification?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: I suggest we write to Bord Fáilte in the first instance to get clarification. It would also probably be appropriate to at least raise the matter with the line Department. We should reference that it is has been brought to our attention. There are a couple of accounts with very small amounts of money. The special account for hepatitis C has €1.7 million, and this is small in...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: Is the figure of €1.7 million growing every year?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: There is the special account for the Health Repayment Scheme Act and it is €150,000 and the health repayment donations fund, with a nil turnover. Are they serving a purpose at the moment?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am sorry for holding us up and the Chairman will be glad to hear I must go to the Dáil Chamber in approximately ten minutes so he will be rid of me for a while at least. I have a general query in the first instance relating to accounts and financial statements, particularly financial planning. This arises from the commentary relating to the scandalous case of the child and...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: I have another issue I wish to raise.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: I agree with the Chairman, but if this committee does not pursue the need for accountability in such instances, then no one else in the Oireachtas will do so. We need to be cognisant of that when we are compiling reports.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: My final point relates to accounts-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: I accept that. I wish to raise the debacle of the pay of the Secretary General of the Department of Health. The Chairman will recall that, when we asked the Secretary General about his publicly stated position that he was waiving a portion of his salary, he refused to answer our questions. Having submitted parliamentary questions to the Departments of Health and Public Expenditure and...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (27 Jan 2022)

Matt Carthy: On the off chance that I am not here for that, I request that we write to the Department of Health seeking clarification as to when that salary ceased to be waived-----