Results 10,741-10,760 of 26,430 for speaker:David Cullinane

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: Will it only be about the national children's hospital or will we be able to raise the long list of health issues in Waterford also?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: I am seeking clarity on the matter. As we will discuss the financial statements, the discussion will not be confined to the national children's hospital. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: I welcome Mr. McKeon and his officials. I have a few questions on the public services card. Mr. McKeon might be aware we had the Data Protection Commissioner before us a number of weeks ago and we put questions to her on this issue as well. She published a report a number of months ago and made a number of directions to the Department on foot of that report. There were three high-level...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: The Department does not accept that finding. The second finding was that the Department has not complied with the data retention principle, in that it keeps all documentation relating to SAFE registration for longer than necessary. Does the Department accept that finding?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: The Department does not accept that one either. The third finding was that the Department has not delivered sufficient transparency to the public in what personal data it processes in the context of SAFE 2-and the PSC. Does the Department accept that finding?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: Those were three high-level findings from an independent individual who has statutory powers and a responsibility to ensure the rights of citizens are protected after a lengthy investigation. The Department does not accept any of the three high-level findings from her investigation.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: There were three. I am reading from the Data Protection Commissioner's report so I will put what is in the report first.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: Bear with me. I will discuss what is in the report. Page 10 of the report talks about three high-level findings. There may be more findings and there are many other things she talks about but there are three high-level findings, which I have just put to Mr. McKeon. The Department does not accept any of three findings. That is my point.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: The Department is entitled to put up a defence but I just want to clarify for the record, so there is no dispute, that the main three findings of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner's investigation are not accepted by the Department.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: I want to read from the Data Protection Commissioner's report because there may be other versions. I am reading from her own report and I am putting questions to Mr. McKeon on the Data Protection Commissioner's report. Page 10 details the "High-level findings of this Investigation" and it states "Three key findings of this investigation are...". It does not mention four findings, it...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: Yes. It is the same one.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: No, it is the Data Protection Commissioner's report. In any event, I will move on because I want to look at processes. We had quite an interesting discussion with the Data Protection Commissioner on the interaction between the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and the Department. The Data Protection Commissioner had some stuff to say about that, which I will get to. I have...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: The Data Protection Commissioner's point was there were a number of extensions given and this was another extension that was sought and again given.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: The Data Protection Commissioner states in her report that "On 26 October 2018, [her office] responded agreeing to one further extension and stating that the threat of legal proceedings [and she used the word "threat" - not me] was unwarranted in circumstances where the DPC had already provided an extension of a month."

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: There were a number of extensions.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: I am interested in that due process and in what the relationship was between the Department and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner at the time. What interaction was going on? I seek an understanding of how Departments interact with what is a statutory office. The response was sent on 30 November 2018. The Data Protection Commissioner stated in her report that 470 scanned pages,...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: Who in the Department?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: Who in the Department was responsible for it?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: I wish to stop Mr. McKeon there for a moment.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 12 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 13 - Timeliness of Income Support Claim Processing
Chapter 14 - Customer Service - Development of Income Support Application Forms (7 Nov 2019)

David Cullinane: I will let Mr. McKeon respond again.