Results 13,001-13,020 of 20,099 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: When I saw it myself, I thought it was a case of "here we go again" and that it was being put on the long finger again. I suggest that we write to the OPW and urge it to have this meeting as quickly as possible in light of society opening up again and us moving into a better place regarding Covid.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: It needs to be dealt with.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: In light of the discussion, the committee will request that the OPW revert to it within the next month to six weeks, perhaps, by the end of June, confirming that this matter will be addressed directly between the landlord and the OPW. I will allow a brief comment from Deputy McAuliffe as there is a lot on today's agenda.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank the Deputy. The clerk will write to the Chairman of the OPW requesting that OPW meet with the landlord, in whatever form, as soon as possible and respond to this committee on the matter within a four-week period. Is that agreed? Agreed. No. 464B is from Ms Rachel Downes, chief executive officer, Caranua, dated 23 March 2021, providing information relating to the recent wind-down of...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: By way of clarification, the Deputy had a letter of authorisation from the three survivors which she had supplied to the committee secretariat.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: The Department's response is that it is pursuing the matter and it has given an undertaking to contact the individuals concerned and, with their consent, to work to address the issues raised on their behalf by the committee and to revert to the committee in due course. I am not sure if the Department is splitting hairs in terms the permission given to allow the committee members to discuss...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: On the legislation, the committee raised the matter with the Department last autumn. The indications are that it is not likely to go to pre-legislative scrutiny until this autumn, which is some time away yet. It is proposed that we allow the Department to complete its work and that we will consider the matter again when we have received an update on it. This is as much as we can do for...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: The Deputy mentioned a register for where a developer has not completed an estate and, perhaps, has moved onto another local authority area or sometimes even in the same local authority area and starts the process again of getting planning permission for another development. There certainly must be a register in that regard. We can highlight that to the Department, but the response in...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: To clarify, the Deputy is probably correct if he is talking about the local authority in his own area, but the couple of local authorities I have dealt with on this matter have a register and have always had a register. It is not just a register; they also have a list of progress written down beside each estate, the current position and what the next steps are. The councillors in the...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: Certainly, we can ask the Department that question.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: There may be other reasons for it, but that should not happen. Questions need to be asked of the local authority in question as to what progress is being made. Regular reports on it can be sought at district meetings or full meetings of the county council. They are sought in other county councils.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: We absolutely can. What is proposed is that we forward this correspondence to the correspondent who raised the matter. In view of the discussion, I propose that we write to the Department and point out to it that the responses would indicate that the bond system still appears to be not tight enough and that there are potential weaknesses in it. Deputy Catherine Murphy suggested that there...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: Does Deputy Muster wish to come in on this item?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: No, we are on No. 477.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: Does Deputy Carthy wish to comment?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: We will have the Department in regularly. The committee proposed that we write to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and request that it makes it a requirement to have a timely updating of the tracker in terms of both costs and timelines. We are asking the Department to address it there, if that is agreed, and if the committee wishes to include that item when we have the...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank the Deputy. We will ask the clerk to the committee to do that. The fact that an investigation or an independent review is going to be carried out is welcome. We will ask for a timeline in that regard. No. 482 is correspondence from Mr. Ray Mitchell, assistant national director of the HSE, dated 25 March 2021. It provides information requested by the committee in respect of the...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank the Deputy. Does Deputy Catherine Murphy wish to come in briefly on that issue?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I ask the Comptroller and Auditor General to come in on that point.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements and Accounts (11 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: We will correspond with the HSE in this regard and look for the status of the 2019 review when it will be fully completed. I propose we write to the new Secretary General of the Department with regard to the delay in putting an integrated financial management system in place. I believe it is a major area of concern and a major spend if the systems are not in place. The Comptroller and...