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Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: I welcome all the officials. I believe Ms Hurley has recently been appointed Secretary General. We wish her well. Generally, I have quite positive things to say about the Department. Notwithstanding that, we need to look at a couple of matters. The first area is around the Benefacts database, which was discussed by the committee previously, particularly as it relates to the Department...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: What departmental resources have been spent on this to date? I originally asked what had been spent.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: I imagine that will be farmed out to a private firm. A contract would be offered, similar to what happened previously. We know Benefacts cost circa €7 million, which is a very significant amount of taxpayers' money. My second question is a follow-up to whether a contract would potentially be given to a private company to undertake. Has the Department lost the data? Is the data,...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: Those engagements with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform around value for money is an interesting point. Has the Department of Social Protection outlined its thoughts on having such a database in that Department? Is it necessary?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: The Department has obviously been heavily involved in this matter. Has it been asked by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to take over the database completely from Benefacts?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: It is talking to other Departments about-----

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: Was the Department asked to?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: That is interesting. Did Pobal commission any report on this work? Is a report available that could be furnished to the committee regarding the benefits of that?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: I will cease on that topic. Others may wish to take it up. I will move on to what happened in Mayo County Council. A problem that is well known by many public representatives in Ireland is that local authorities, in many ways, are untouchable when it comes to malpractice and wrongdoing. What happened in Mayo was particularly poor and potentially bordered on fraud, where money was...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: What explanation did the council provide when this was identified?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: Has the money been fully recovered?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: If this happened in the private sector, the individuals involved would probably be terminated from their employment. It is incredibly serious and I hope this is not going on throughout the other projects around the country. It is an awful lot of money and the councillors and the community projects involved in Mayo suffered as a consequence of what I regard as serious malpractice within the...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: On that point, did the Secretary General make a decision or did anyone in the Department come to a point of considering that this was at a level where An Garda Síochána might be contacted?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: If it had gone unchecked, what does the Secretary General think would have happened? I know it is a hypothetical question, but the Department discussed that, that if this had not been identified, what would have happened with that money.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2021
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development
Report of the Accounts of the Public Services 2021
Chapter 6: Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
(30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: That is good. My final question is, after all of that, through the internal audit processes that were done, were any other projects of concern identified?

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Veterinary Services (30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: 72. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details for a new veterinary college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15705/23]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: 94. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding Ireland's application to join the CERN programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15706/23]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (28 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: 592. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will furnish an update on a person’s (details supplied) citizenship application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15367/23]

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Financial Statements of Enterprise Ireland: Discussion (23 Mar 2023)

James O'Connor: I thank the Chairperson and welcome everybody from Enterprise Ireland to the committee this morning. Generally, I have been monitoring its work and it is quite good. On the embassy point, and cohabiting, it is a great idea because it gives Enterprise Ireland that opportunity to work closely with the ambassadors and open up doors in countries where it might not be so easy to do so. That...

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