Results 81-100 of 1,132 for speaker:Garret Ahearn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Is it simply the Department's view that there should be no extra funding done?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Is that against two organisations?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: I was looking at the 13 members of the current board. Eight of them were appointed in the last six months of the term of the last Government, so the previous Minister would have appointed them. Four of them were appointed in the last four weeks of that term. It is quite unusual, I would think. Were some of this decisions speeded up by the Department to be done before the election?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Of those 13, particularly the eight new ones, which ones come from an accounting background?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Who is that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: I have the 13 names here. It is public knowledge.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Okay. On the court case, I figured the Secretary General might not answer questions again. He said the Department has referred it to the auditor and the Attorney General to review. When will they come back with a recommendation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: When does the Department expect them to come back?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: In that initial engagement, has the Department outlined its view that no further funding should be spent?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: They are aware of the Department's position.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Okay. If the auditor and Attorney General comes back to agree with the Department's position that no further money should be spent, no case should be brought forward and no more taxpayer's money should be wasted, will the Department relay that to the Arts Council?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: The Department could come back with one or two recommendations to go ahead or not go ahead.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: The Department is seeking advice on its position that no other taxpayer's money should be spent on this. If the Attorney General comes back and agrees with it, the Department will obviously inform the Arts Council to say that. If the Department comes back to say that its recommendation is not to continue with the court case, what is the Arts Council's position?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Would the Arts Council continue with the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: When Ms McGrath talks about the €8 million that has been spent on the project and the hope to recoup money through this court case, this possible court case might never happen considering we have a Department that, I would say, is likely very concerned about extra cost given its position to the auditor and the Attorney General, with a 50:50 possibility of them coming back to say the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Plus the €1.5 million.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Yes, so it is over €8 million in total.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: I have one final question, and it is probably a case of getting it in writing. On conflict and interest and decisions the Arts Councils and the board make, we spoke about the concert hall. With regard to any decisions they make, is there a conflict of interest in terms of relationships between family members, husbands and wives or sons and daughters? Can all of that, over the last ten...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (11 Jun 2025)

Garret Ahearn: Qualified chartered accountants.

Seanad: Situation in Gaza: Statements (29 May 2025)

Garret Ahearn: I am sharing time with Senator Kelleher, if that is agreeable. I thank the Tánaiste. He is very welcome to the Chamber and thank him for being here. When we first talk about Palestine, Gaza and the conflict there, it is always important that we put on the record that what happened on 7 October was terrible. There were 1,195 people murdered by Hamas and 251 hostages taken. No one...