Results 13,781-13,800 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: I wish to mention the work programme. An issue has been rumbling along in the background for a long time which has surfaced again in the past 24 hours. I refer to Positive Action, a group funded by the HSE, which has come to the public's attention in a very obvious way for the use of public money in a way which has been found to be utterly unacceptable to an internal audit report...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: I think it is a section 39 organisation.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: Correct. It was liquidated earlier this year but that does not stop us from bringing them in.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: There are directors and officials who could come in and tell us what happened. Do not let the lawyers near this one, please.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: Before the Deputy does so, I wish to know whether we have made a decision about Positive Action.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: I thank the Chairman.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: It understands it very well.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: I doubt it.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: I raise an issue that relates both to correspondence and the committee's work programme. Last night, members received from the Clerk to the Committee a copy of a letter sent to him by Ms Ramona Quinn, the parliamentary legal adviser, in which she refers to an earlier conversation regarding the proposed examination of Irish Water officials by the committee and notes that is envisaged that...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: In that case, what is this letter about?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: Has a legal opinion been sought?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: Why are we receiving legal opinions which we have not sought? How did this matter arise?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: Are lawyers in the business of sending us legal opinions from time to time or when they feel like doing so? Perhaps the Clerk to the Committee can throw some light on the issue because I do not understand it.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: The letter refers to "our earlier conversation". To what does this reference pertain?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: Do lawyers pick up every bit of tittle-tattle in the media and issue legal opinions to the committee as a result of it? We had not proposed to have the individuals in question come before us.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: I do not know whether the Chairman will agree with me but there appears to be a pattern developing of deliberately trying to muzzle the activities of the Committee of Public Accounts by anticipating its activities and trying to stop or obstruct us. I am very alarmed by this unsolicited legal advice. It is a unique case.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: I did, Chairman.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: The accounts were late anyway.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: Maybe that is the reason but it is a strange thing to place unaudited accounts in the public arena, is it not?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Oct 2014)
Shane Ross: But there might be.