Results 1,301-1,320 of 7,777 for speaker:Joe Costello

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: I have two brief points. The representatives told me previously that they were the new board and they would examine the manner in which the site was purchased at Meelick despite the fact that there was prior information that it was unusable for the purpose for which it was purchased, how that type of perverse decision could have been made which seems to have been a negligent squandering of...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: Can they not be appointed in a staggered fashion at present? Regardless of whether the membership is increased, the appointments could be made in a staggered fashion.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: In that way there would be an overlap, some continuity and all of that wisdom, or lack of it, of the past could be passed on.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: That is a commitment. Moving on to my second point, I see the wonderful expression in the presentation that the IGB will provide support to the rehoming of greyhounds. What is meant by the rehoming of greyhounds? Various reports are published from time to time indicating that greyhounds when they have passed their sell by date are sold off to various countries - some of them travel to...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: With regard to the euphemistic term "put to sleep", is Ms Forde saying that when greyhounds are finished on the track they are put down?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: It is proposed that additional support will be provided for the rehoming of greyhounds. Is that to give them homes in different areas and how will that work?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: Is a greyhound an acceptable pet in Ireland?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: I am asking for a simple commitment at this stage.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: But they are both profitable. I do not want to take up too much time on this. If they are both profitable and the one that Mr. Murnane was just talking about down in Limerick has not been profitable for a period of time, we need to see Bord na gCon's business plan for the disposal of assets-----

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: -----and how that will deal with the overhang of debt and why Bord na gCon proposes to close down a profitable stadium. Presumably, if Bord na gCon were to sell the stadium at Harold's Cross, it would be a bit like Limerick. Unless Bord na gCon gets planning permission for a change of use, it will not go far with it. I presume that is a further projection. We need the business plan on the...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: Absolutely.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: We are talking about action now. That is what the Indecon report is about. Bord na gCon was supposed to have a strategic plan by September 2014, and I do not know whether that has been drawn up. Mr. Murnane might tell us about that. There were 27 recommendations in the Indecon report. What is Bord na gCon doing with those? Bord na gCon states it has taken on board the five...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: Has Mr. Murnane drawn up a plan? That was proposed.

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: The first recommendation was that a plan would be drawn up for September 2014. The witnesses are the new board, with fresh faces and a new executive. Have they got a plan?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: When can we expect to see that, if the Department is perusing it at present?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: For what purpose is Bord na gCon looking for it to be rezoned?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: Has Bord na gCon submitted a proposal for that? Has it approached the local authority?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: Is this all part of Bord na gCon's €8 million forecast for debt reduction?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: Or it may not happen at all. It will depend on a large number of circumstances. Rezoning is quite a delicate business and applications for rezoning are often rejected for a wide variety of reasons, particularly in an area that is already built up. There is no guarantee. If Bord na gCon does not get it rezoned, of course, the value it expects from the site is hugely diminished, because it...

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 86 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Bord na gCon (27 Nov 2014)

Joe Costello: Did Mr. Meaney contact any member of the previous executive or board to discover why these decisions had been made?