Results 12,341-12,360 of 20,099 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I welcome everyone to the meeting. Apologies have been received from Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, is a permanent witness to this committee, and he is joining us remotely. Deputy Marc MacSharry has stood down from the committee and is being replaced by Deputy James O'Connor, who may join us later. I propose that the committee...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statement 2020 and Related Matters: HSE (Resumed) (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: We are resuming our examination of the financial statements of the HSE for 2020. The HSE has been advised that the areas of interest to the committee include oversight and governance arrangements concerning grants to section 38 and section 39 organisations and the service arrangement between the HSE and SouthDoc. We are joined remotely from within the precincts of Leinster House by the...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statement 2020 and Related Matters: HSE (Resumed) (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank Mr. McCarthy. I call Mr. Reid to make his opening statement and I ask him to try to limit his contribution to five minutes.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statement 2020 and Related Matters: HSE (Resumed) (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank Mr. Reid for his opening statement. The first committee speaker, Deputy Colm Burke, has 15 minutes. He was to be followed by Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. As I noted earlier, Deputy Carroll MacNeill is as láthair today, so after Deputy Burke there will be six minutes for each speaker. I will give Deputy Burke a reminder after 12 minutes.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: 97. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will approve new terms and pay levels that are being sought by school secretaries who are not employed directly within the public services. [45186/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: 150. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made on the new building for a school (details supplied); and the estimated timeline for works. [45184/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: 255. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the detail of the current assessment of a school (details supplied) by her Department; and if her Department will now sanction a new school building. [45185/21]

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I want to raise with the Minister the crisis in the timber industry and the forestry industry. Farmers cannot get a felling licence. Over 5,000 licences are held up in the system. One case I have is three years waiting and the forestry is nearly within a stone's throw of a sawmill that is importing timber from Scotland. The reality is sawmills are importing from abroad where there are...

Planning and Development (Amendment) (20 per cent Provision of Social and Affordable Housing) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill and I commend Deputy Eoin Ó Broin on bringing it forward. The facts are that consecutive Governments have failed to provide affordable homes across the country on the scale that is required to address the housing crisis. There has not been one single affordable home delivered in Laois-Offaly in almost 15 years and there does not appear to...

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

Brian Stanley: Members are all very welcome to the meeting. We have received no apologies. As we return to participating at committee meetings in person, I ask members and all in attendance to exercise personal responsibility in protecting themselves and others from the risk of contracting Covid-19. They are strongly advised to leave at least one vacant seat between themselves and others attending and to...

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

Brian Stanley: With regard to number 28, which is Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the Comptroller and Auditor General notes that attention is drawn to significant non-compliant procurement. The budget for 2020 was €852 million.

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

Brian Stanley: What is the amount of the significant non-compliant procurement?

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

Brian Stanley: Is that for a specific item or is it across several items?

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

Brian Stanley: I propose that we ask the clerk to the committee to seek that information from Tusla because it is a significant amount. Deputy Catherine Murphy wishes to raise an issue.

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

Brian Stanley: Deputies Devlin and Catherine Murphy are present in the committee room. I expected to see more people present in the room because all are eager to get back in. I am eager to have people in the room but we have a hybrid model this morning, so some members are in their own rooms.

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

Brian Stanley: We can come back to that.

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

Brian Stanley: We have a standard practice for the ones over €500,000. That is below €500,000 but we will ask the clerk to get some specific information on that contract with the NTA. Is that okay?

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

Brian Stanley: I call Deputy Devlin. I am watching the time because we have over 40 pieces of flagged correspondence this morning and we have an hour and 35 or 40 minutes left.

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

Brian Stanley: Can we agree to note the accounts and statements? Agreed. The accounts and financial statements will be published as part of our minutes. As usual, we will request an explanation for any significant non-compliant procurement of more than €500,000 or delays in laying the accounts before the House. The Tusla one will need particular scrutiny. We move on to correspondence. As...

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

Brian Stanley: We can request that information. Next is No. 717.B from Professor Andrew Deeks, president of UCD, dated 7 July, providing information requested by the committee. This has come up before and relates to the partnership between UCD and Tullow Oil for the provision of a third level course. UCD states that the partnership and the master of science programme in petroleum geoscience which was...