Results 11,401-11,420 of 20,088 for speaker:Brian Stanley

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.

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

Brian Stanley: To be specific, the Deputy is asking for a breakdown by scheme of what was fraud and what was overpayment.

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

Brian Stanley: Much of the time, it is overpayment.

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

Brian Stanley: The amounts in some cases are not that large. There is a popular view-----

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

Brian Stanley: Yes. Despite the number of people on jobseeker's allowance, the figure in this context is just over €7 million for a whole year. Obviously, fraud should not happen. The figures in respect of the State pension and carer's allowance are €1.5 million and just over €1 million, respectively, and include overpayments. People would be surprised to learn that fraud does not...

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

Brian Stanley: We will move on to No. 1025B, which is correspondence from Ms Katherine Licken, Secretary General of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and dated 26 January, providing information requested by the committee arising from our meeting with the Department on 25 November. It is a detailed response to 17 issues raised during the meeting and includes a number of...

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

Brian Stanley: I call Deputy Sherlock.