Results 12,041-12,060 of 35,132 for speaker:Seán Fleming
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: Yes, to ensure the two committees do not duplicate work. We will hold that meeting over for the moment until a precise scoping exercise has been done as to what we will do and let the health committee do its important work as well. At next Thursday's meeting, there may not be any witnesses. It might be an opportune time to clear all the correspondence that we are not going to do today.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: There is a couple of hours' work in that. Some of it will be very interesting. There are issues about health and a lot of other things. The public will be very interested in relation to some of the correspondence that has come in over the summer.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: The committee has two previous periodic reports. There are detailed responses now from the Minister for Finance and for Public Expenditure and Reform. There is a lot of stuff for public debate in our correspondence. That meeting on health can be held over and the committee can deal with the backlog of correspondence from the summer. That is great. Staff in the secretariat have been...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: There is so much in the work programme that we did not know where to begin.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: The Department of Education and Skills.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: Of course.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: I understand he is leaving his position at the end of October.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: We will make inquiries.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: For next Thursday, we will try to have-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: Agreed. With regard to CervicalCheck, the secretariat will work on a programme for Thursday next. We will not have external witnesses. The meeting will be on our work programme and correspondence related to the third level sector.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: The secretariat will contact Dr. Love in the meantime to check his availability before he leaves office.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: We will have that finalised for the next meeting.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: Any member who wants an issue discussed as part of the process next Thursday should contact the secretariat directly in the coming days. On one final urgent item of business, the OECD is carrying out its accounting framework assessment and officials will be in Ireland next week. They have asked to meet the Committee of Public Accounts to get our views on the move from cash-based...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: Yes.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: They want to discuss the long-term movement of Government accounts from a cash-based accounting system to an accrual accounting system, as is the norm in the private and commercial sector. They will ask us to make an input to the discussion. I ask members to allow me to use my discretion, as Chairman, go give my views on behalf of the committee. Staff from the secretariat will accompany me...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: No. I have written some speaking notes.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: I am going to raise the issue of NAMA-type organisations being off the State balance sheet. I want to put it on the public record. The public does not understand this. As we all know, NAMA was created when the Government took over the banks on behalf of the State and the taxpayer. I will explain this in two sentences. The Government did not want that on the State balance sheet.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: If I am not 100% right, Mr. McCarthy can correct me down the line. The principle of what I am saying is as follows: the idea of setting up an organisation called the NAMA Group was developed in the Department of Finance. The NAMA Group has a shareholding of €100 million. Some 51% of it is owned by the private sector. One of the insurance companies - Irish Life - owned some of the...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: Yes. The 51% is off the State balance sheet because it is technically in private ownership. It is a great con job. Europe and everyone signed up to that mechanism to get it off the State balance sheet. Logically, it should be part of the State apparatus. It is not on the State balance sheet. I want to raise those types of accounting issues. I know we are about to talk to...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Sep 2018)
Seán Fleming: I say all of this to clear up what has to happen next Wednesday. Deputy Burke and I will talk to the nerds from the OECD about boring accounting stuff next Wednesday. We have concluded our discussion on the work programme. People know where we are. An invitation for next Tuesday will be sent to the Accounting Officer, Mr. Martin Fraser. A delegation from the committee will meet...