Results 13,761-13,780 of 20,099 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: We are joined by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. McCarthy, the permanent witness to the committee. Members are reminded of the provisions within Standing Order 218 that the committee shall refrain from inquiring into the merits of a policy or policies of the Government or a Minister of the Government or the merits of the objectives of such policies. Members are also reminded of the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: Do members have questions on that? No. Is it agreed that we note the accounts and statements? Agreed. The next business is correspondence. The first category of correspondence on which members have flagged issues for attention is correspondence from Accounting Officers or Ministers and follow-up to previous meetings of the committee. No. 179 was held over from the previous meeting and...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: I am happy enough for Deputy Carthy or Deputy Murphy to speak first on it. We raised issues at the meeting when Caranua was in attendance and some clarification was provided to us. Members can address those. There are 26 applications outstanding by survivors on their initial or repeat applications and a final 50 where the completion of the applications process is awaited. The estimated...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: There are a total of 76 cases outstanding. Some 300 survivors received additional supports, the final 50 of whom are currently in the process of completing their applications. On top of that are the 26 survivors who are on an initial or repeat application. There are, therefore, potentially 76 cases outstanding while there is only €300,000 left in the kitty.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: It certainly could end up happening.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: To be helpful, there is further correspondence on this issue, No. 195, from Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the Department of Education. In this correspondence, it is set out clearly that legislation is required. The Department has sent the draft general scheme of the residential institutions statutory fund (dissolution) Bill 2020 to Government. This provides for...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: I thank the Deputy for the suggestion. He mentioned the word "casualties". These people have waited-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: I know the Deputy used the word with the best of intentions. They have, however, suffered enough. We must do our best as public representatives to ensure that the remaining applicants are dealt with. Nobody on this committee would disagree with that. The Deputy's suggestion that we make some kind of an intervention with the Department in that regard is worthwhile. The other suggestion,...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: I have a few suggestions and I think they are good ones. One is that we endeavour to bring Caranua in on 3 December to try to deal with these issues. We will ask the clerk to arrange that and to get back to us as quickly as possible. The second suggestion is that we also write to the Secretary General of the Department of Education on the Bill to point out our concerns and to say that...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: We will list those services, including medical cards and advocacy, as well as the other issue.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: Okay. We will send that to the Minister, the Secretary General and the Department of an Taoiseach. Is that agreed? Agreed. The next item of correspondence is No. 190B, from Mr. Ray Mitchell, assistant national director of the HSE, dated 5 November 2020. It provides a briefing note requested by the committee regarding services provided by a service operator. It is not proposed to...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: We have good co-operation from the secretariat, the staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas, the Comptroller and Auditor General's office and the liaison person, which has been a great assistance. The next batch of correspondence is that from and related to private individuals, and any other correspondence. No. 157C is from Mr. Brian Lynch, dated 12 October 2020, and was held over from an...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: A suggestion was made that we look at school transport overall, maybe at a session at some time in the new year. If members want, we can ask for the issue to be pencilled in on our long work programme. Would members be happy with that? It would give us a chance to consider the issues that have been raised around this matter in the meantime. There are some good things about the school...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: That requires further consideration.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: I was going to propose that because people want to have another look at this. For now, we will note the correspondence, members can consider it and we will ask for a legal opinion on it from the parliamentary legal adviser. Is that agreed? Agreed. The next item of correspondence is No. 186, from an individual and dated 25 October 2020, alleging that bonds pertaining to a development...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: We should ask him about that because some of those bonds were not worth the paper they were written on. The taxpayer had to pick up the tab and local authorities, out of their own budgets, had to finish off the estates. The bonds literally evaporated and had no great legal standing.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: I had a lot of heartache with them myself.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: I ask that the clerk would flag that up as part of the invite for next week. We will put the Department on notice that we want to talk to it about bonds, why they are not as secure as they need to be, and why there have been so many problems with them.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (18 Nov 2020)

Brian Stanley: It is a local government matter but the bill for unfinished estates ended up in Departments and the Department with responsibility for housing and the environment has had to supply substantial funds in recent years to deal with that. It is an issue we will ask the Department to deal with when it is before the committee. It is to be hoped we can try to make some headway with it on that day.