Results 12,061-12,080 of 20,094 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: I wish to focus for a moment on the number of cases received last year. As I understand it, there were 774 notifications received in 2020 in respect of the early years services. That figure was up from 403 in 2019. What was the main driver of that increase? What happened there? It is significant that the number of notifications almost doubled in a year. I refer to crèches and...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: No, that response concerns the level of activity. I am asking about the 774 notifications of complaints of incidents in 2020. That increased from 403 in 2019. The number of such complaints almost doubled in 2020 in comparison to 2019 from 403 to 774. What is the main driver of that? What happened there? What caused that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: I will move to claims against Tusla. There were 460 claims against Tusla in the most recent five-year period. As I understand it,152 claims were made in 2019, representing the highest number of claims in that period. The average for the five-period was 75 claims per year. Why was the number of claims made in 2019 so high?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: I understand that €16.4 million was spent on legal fees in 2020, which is fairly significant. Are any steps being taken to reduce that figure? When Tusla procures legal assistance and representation, does it go through a full procurement process?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank Mr. Gloster for the clarification.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: With regard to cases passed or not passed on to the Garda, in September 2019, Sligo-Leitrim-west Cavan had the highest percentage of notifications not passed on. It reached 56% of notifications not referred on. There was a figure for Cork around the same time of 29%. What action has been taken to address that and what percentage of cases are not being passed on at present?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020 (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank the witnesses for attending and their staff for assisting in preparing for the meeting. I also thank the Comptroller and Auditor General and his staff for their assistance in preparing for today's meeting. Is it agreed to request the clerk to seek any follow-up information and carry out any agreed actions arising out of today's meeting? Agreed. Is it also agreed to note and...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: The business before us is the minutes, accounts and financial statements, correspondence, work programme and any other business. At the end we will briefly go into private session to deal with one or two small items. First is the minutes of our meeting of 14 October, which have been circulated to members. Are the minutes agreed to? Agreed. As usual, the minutes will be published on the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: Regarding the Insurance Compensation Fund, the Comptroller and Auditor General referred to chapter 14 of the report on the accounts of the public services 2020, which examines the controls over the assessment and collection of the Insurance Compensation Fund levy. Will he explain that fund and who runs the show there? What is the issue at stake?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: With regard to the levy, one part, if not all, of it is the collapse of Quinn Insurance.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: Regarding AXA, which was formerly known as PMPA, are we out of that now or are we still paying for the financial problems in that company?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: How significant is non-compliance relating to procurement in TG4?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: Is everyone happy? Can we note the accounts and statements? Is that agreed? Agreed. As usual, the listing of accounts and financial statements will be published as part of the minutes. One item of correspondence has been flagged under correspondence from Accounting Officers and-or Ministers and follow-up to meetings of the Committee of Public Accounts. No. 834 B is correspondence from...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: I have just been informed that Deputy Hourigan is on that committee.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: That is helpful.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: It is proposed to note and publish the correspondence. We will also forward it to the health committee and include the question from Deputy Carthy as to whether, in that committee's opinion, this committee is required to examine the matter further. Is that agreed? Agreed. The next business is the work programme. The Dáil is not scheduled to sit next week. That brings us to 4...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: 23. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a single consent system for agri-forestry to cover planting, thinning and felling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50695/21]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (21 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: 33. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions being taken to deal with the crisis in the forestry sector due to the felling licence delays. [50694/21]

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: The improvement of local bus services is included in the programme for Government. I raise the need for a local bus service in the town of Portlaoise. The plan has been put together, the research has been done by the local authority, the route has been designed and the location of bus stops has been decided. The Government needs to hand this role over to the local authorities. This is...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (20 Oct 2021)

Brian Stanley: I welcome that but we need a local bus service to action that low-carbon town plan.