Results 9,801-9,820 of 20,057 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Will Ms Byrne come back to us with a figure on that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I raised the possibility of a Passport Office in Belfast, in addition to a service for the 18 MPs in the North. Mr. Sammy Wilson might be anxious to use it, or some of the MPs there. In the context of the current crisis, there is a need for it. There are 846 people currently staffing the Passport Office. Is it correct that 41% of them are temporary staff?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Is there an explanation for that? The figure seems very high.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Do newbies from outside the service account for some of that 41% or are they existing civil servants?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: They are complete newbies. It is straight in.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Some of them are regular seasonal staff.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: The Passport Office might have very few temporary staff during the winter period.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I suggest and re-emphasise that the Passport Office advertise very strongly regarding that. If someone's passport has six or seven months to go, they should apply and not wait until June or the week before he or she travels. It is so frustrating. The staff have great patience. In fairness, I acknowledged earlier that people at the other end of the phone in the office are generally very...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I know they get a hard time. It can be fairly hectic there sometimes trying to get something through. Generally, the service is very good. I have a question regarding North-South money and some of the funding that has been put in place following the Good Friday Agreement. There was €3.7 million in funding in 2020 that seemed to go to organisations on the ground in the North for...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I saw some of the projects that were funded. On the vetting of organisations to which the funding goes, are there situations arising where some of the funding might go to groups that are slightly questionable or where people central to the groups might still be involved in paramilitary activity?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Have there been cases where money has been withheld due to issues arising because of people central to those organisations facing charges or being charged and convicted?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I am not talking about the past. What about now?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I accept there would be ex-prisoners and people who were involved with paramilitary activity on both sides in the past. Have there been cases in the past ten years where funding has been withheld or where the brakes have been put on the funding?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I do not expect the witness to speak to an individual case but at this time, is there an organisation or organisations whose funding may have to be halted?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: One of the conditions of the funding is that it does not leak through to any paramilitary organisations.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Okay. I thank Mr. de Búrca. We will take a second round of questioning. We will take five minutes each and see how we go.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: My hearing is not that good. What was bought?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Did I hear the Deputy say "socks"?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: How many pairs?