Results 11,401-11,420 of 20,094 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: Transport Infrastructure Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: I will revert to the N7 and M8 for a moment and mention the Newlands Cross flyover. When that project was announced, I thought it would cause chaos. I was not long elected at the time. A commitment was given on day one that six lanes of traffic would be kept open, except at night-time when that would be reduced to one or two lanes. I acknowledge that work was difficult to do during busy...

Public Accounts Committee: Transport Infrastructure Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: It is difficult because when they attempt to retrofit, contractors try to use the lanes that are there already. It means taking them out of use. Contractors try to work around it by using middle aisles and all that sort of stuff. I thought this was a terrible gap in the planning at the time. While the bypass solved the problem by getting the traffic out of Naas town, which was good, there...

Public Accounts Committee: Transport Infrastructure Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: Yes. Will Mr. Walsh remind us of the opening year and when the retrofit was actually completed?

Public Accounts Committee: Transport Infrastructure Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: Yes, the first time.

Public Accounts Committee: Transport Infrastructure Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: That is the third question. What did it cost at the time and what would it have cost to provide an extra lane? The bridges were left wide enough, thank God, so space was left to do it. From the point of view of cost-benefit at the time, it would have been a hell of a lot better if three lanes had been provided in both directions from day one. I acknowledge that magical work was done to...

Public Accounts Committee: Transport Infrastructure Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: It was excellent. The manager of the site and the foremen and workers did great work. I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General for attending. I thank the witnesses and staff from the Department for the work involved in preparing for the meeting. Is it agreed to request that the clerk to the committee seek any follow-up information and carry out any actions arising from the meeting?...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: The business before us today includes minutes of previous meeting, accounts and financial statements, correspondence, including that received in respect of An Taisce, the work programme and any other business. We will go into private session before adjourning. The first item is the minutes of the meeting from 27 January, which have been circulated to members. Do members wish to raise any...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: Is it agreed that we note the accounts and statements? Agreed. As usual, the listing of accounts and financial statements will be published as part of our minutes.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: What is the total income of the body? Is it approximately €60 million?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: Okay. Moving to correspondence, as previously agreed, items not flagged for discussion at this meeting will continue to be dealt with in accordance with the proposed actions that have been circulated, and decisions taken by the committee in respect of correspondence are recorded in the minutes of our meetings and published on the web page. The first category of correspondence under which...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: They are described as rollovers. That feeds into it. The one relating to CPL Healthcare Limited and locum nurses is substantial. It is more than €3 million. To frame a question to send back to the Secretary General, the Deputy wants to know how the Prison Service projects-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: We will note that and request further information. No. 1018B is correspondence from Mr. John McKeon, Secretary General of the Department of Social Protection, dated 20 January 2022. It is in response to our request for quarterly updates on the investigation of the employment status of workers engaged by RTÉ. The Secretary General outlines the information provided to the committee to...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: It has been flagged for discussion by myself and Deputy Carthy.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: Reading the correspondence, it seems that the committee never looked for fine details of the status of any individual claim or investigation. The letter states: By way of background the Committee will be aware that the Department does not normally comment in public or at committee on the status of any individual claim or investigation - whether that be in respect of an individual's...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: There is substantial work to be done by the Department. We will ask for a more definitive timeline and also point out the committee's position regarding confidentiality. No. 1021B from Ms Oonagh McPhillips, Secretary General, Department of Justice, is dated 21 January 2022. It provides information requested by the committee into reports of unofficial strike action by senior officers in...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: We will ask for an update on the outcome of that 26 January hearing and what progress has been made on that.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: Okay. We will make that addition.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: Okay. The next correspondence, which I mentioned earlier, is No. 1023 B from Mr. John McKeon, Secretary General, Department of Social Protection, dated 24 January 2022, providing information requested by the committee arising from our meeting with the Department on 9 December 2021. It provides information on: applications for disability allowance in 2020 and 2021; the public services card...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: Could I suggest regarding the form that there is a lot of repetition? One I saw recently had the same question asked a number of times. Members of the public will be handed these application forms in an office or be sent them by the Department. It is not that long ago that I remember most of those forms were two or three pages. They are now looking at 24 to 26 pages. While I understand...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Brian Stanley: Overpayments.