Results 8,281-8,300 of 34,616 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: The only observation I would make on that is that the UL has had the Comptroller and Auditor General's report since last August, which is quite a number of months ago. If there was a determination-----

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: No, it was August 2018.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: Did the Comptroller and Auditor General send drafts during the writing of the report?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: From about April last year until August, when the Comptroller and Auditor General finished his report, everything in his report was known to the university.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: The Minister published it towards the end of last year.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: I will ask a broad question. If the board of governors was satisfied that an individual at senior level in the employment of the university seriously misrepresented the facts, as stated by the Comptroller and Auditor General, to the board, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Department of Education and the Committee on Public Accounts, would that individual merit a written warning or...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: These are very serious issues. At the end of whatever investigation the University of Limerick might choose to carry out we hope that if it is thought it was not appropriate to make the payments from public funds, the university would move to have the funds recouped to the taxpayer. We had it here with the Department, the Higher Education Authority and Cork Institute of Technology when...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: It is funny but twice today we have heard a remark on this issue. The Comptroller and Auditor General said that if it was to happen in the private sector and facts were misrepresented, there would be a resignation. Professor Fitzgerald has highlighted a second issue that because it has occurred in the public sector, it is, therefore, hard to deal with such issues. Two interesting comments...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: But in this case the law tells us that Mr. McCarthy could not do so.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: It is public money and we do not want the witnesses to make a mistake that would prove costly.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: The Deputy does not like the tone of my questioning.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: It was just a comment on which the Deputy picked up.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 103 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Remuneration of certain senior staff in the University of Limerick and Institute of Technology Sligo (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: The point is taken. I will put it this way - the comments were asides. We have had a detailed discussion on the issues before the committee. I apologise for the slightly late start and running into the afternoon. I have said previously that as soon as the accounts are approved by the Department of Education and Skills, we will arrange a return visit. As matters stand, the only accounts...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 104 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Waterford Institute of Technology - Development and Disposal of Intellectual Property in FeedHenry (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: We will now deal with item No. 8 on today's agenda, which is the Comptroller and Auditor General's Special Report 104, which deals with Waterford Institute of Technology in respect of the development and disposal of intellectual property in FeedHenry. The Comptroller and Auditor General is joined by Shane Carton, deputy director of audit. We are joined from the Department of Education and...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 104 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Waterford Institute of Technology - Development and Disposal of Intellectual Property in FeedHenry (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: I thank Mr. McCarthy. I call Mr. Beausang to make the Department's opening statement.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 104 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Waterford Institute of Technology - Development and Disposal of Intellectual Property in FeedHenry (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: I thank Mr. Beausang. Mr. O'Toole gave his statement as part of the earlier session and we examined it then. As it is getting late, I ask Professor Donnelly to summarise his opening statement if possible and focus on the Comptroller and Auditor General's report.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 104 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Waterford Institute of Technology - Development and Disposal of Intellectual Property in FeedHenry (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: I thank Professor Donnelly. I wish to raise an issue that I mentioned the last time he appeared before us. Unfortunately, I have to mention it again. WIT's financial statements from 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016 are the last set of financial statements publicly available. Has WIT signed off on any set of financial statements in the two and a half years since?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 104 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Waterford Institute of Technology - Development and Disposal of Intellectual Property in FeedHenry (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: Are there outstanding queries from the Comptroller and Auditor General?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 104 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Waterford Institute of Technology - Development and Disposal of Intellectual Property in FeedHenry (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: When will the Comptroller and Auditor General sign off on them, or has the institute not formally signed off on them yet?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 104 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Waterford Institute of Technology - Development and Disposal of Intellectual Property in FeedHenry (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Fleming: When?