Results 11,781-11,800 of 26,396 for speaker:David Cullinane
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: I have that. That is subject of a later question I intend to ask. I have separated consultancy from workers, contractors and external service providers.
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: How much?
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: For the Marine Institute?
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: I will deal will with the issue of wastewater later. I have a number of questions on that.
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: That was my point. Regarding the more than €8 million incurred, is that accounted for by the EPA subcontracting or outsourcing work that it is not in a position to do itself? With respect to the reference to contractors and external service providers, the obvious question I have is why the expertise is not available in-house. Why must we outsource that level of cost and spend? Is...
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: I understand what the agency does but the issue is why it is done and why it is done in that way because we consider the value for money context. If we are spending millions of euro and Mr. Burke's organisation is subcontracting work to be done by outside organisations, I would like to know why that is being done. Is it for the purpose that the agency wants to get independent outside...
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: That is my point. Ms Burke is the head of the organisation and oversees a spend of more than €8 million on outside contractors and external service providers. At a strategic level, has the EPA examined whether there might be better value for money in getting in-house expertise to do some of this work in the future? I understand that one-off projects might require very specialist...
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: It is not a critical question. I am curious about the breakdown. Perhaps Ms Burke could provide the committee with a detailed breakdown of these contractors and external service providers. Who are they? What work do they do? Perhaps we can have a look at that ourselves.
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: Ms Burke mentioned consultancy costs. They amounted to €305,000 in 2017. Some €155,000 of that was related to the office of communications and corporate services within the EPA. What is the nature of these consultancy costs?
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: That is fair enough. I want to move to the topic of wastewater. I was reading the report on urban wastewater treatment in 2017, which in many respects is quite a damning report on wastewater infrastructure. In my own county of Waterford we are very lucky to have wastewater infrastructure of a very high quality. Is that the most recent EPA report or has there been a subsequent report? I...
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: It found that in 28 of the 179 large towns and cities, wastewater treatment did not meet mandatory standards set to prevent pollution and protect public health; in some 38 towns and villages untreated wastewater flowed into the environment every day; there were 57 areas where wastewater is the sole threat to rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters at risk of pollution; three urban areas...
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: When did the Commission commence infringement proceedings?
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: My understanding is that the Commission commenced proceedings in September 2013.
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: Does one of Ms Burke's colleagues know? The date is important.
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: Who was the Minister in 2013?
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: It was a very uneventful Minister.
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: What point have those infringement proceedings reached at this point?
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: What does that mean? What is the next step in that process? If the Commission finds against us, are fines automatically attached to that finding or is there another process whereby we have another chance to invest before the fines kick in? Have we already incurred the costs?
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: We have not incurred the costs but at some point we may.
- Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)
David Cullinane: What happens next?