Results 14,641-14,660 of 26,396 for speaker:David Cullinane

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: I have a number of specific questions on the operation of the strategic communications unit.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: I am glad that a motion passed by the Dáil had some impact on some aspect of Government policy.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: I have a couple of questions on the operation of the unit, after which I will ask a number of questions on tribunal costs and commissions of investigation, which we dealt with earlier. I will be as brief as I can on this matter on which I ask the Chairman to show me some latitude. Mr. Fraser dealt with some of the criticism of the strategic communications unit and I will not go back over old...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: No, the newspaper article was reflecting something that happened.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: Deputy Maurice Quinlivan submitted a parliamentary question to the then Tánaiste and the response was drafted word for word by the strategic communications unit. Mr. Martin Fraser:Was the question about the SCU?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: No.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: I am not sure what it was about but it was drafted specifically-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: I do not have the details of what it was about. What I am saying is that we were told the SCU would be at arm's length from Ministers and the Government.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: As Mr. Fraser is aware, the Tánaiste at the time was the Minister for Justice and Equality. It was a justice issue. I do not have the specific details but it was a justice-related issue.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: It sounds more than strange to me.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: We will forward a copy and Mr. Fraser can revert to the committee with a response.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: To follow up on that question, did the SCU draft responses to parliamentary questions submitted in any other area? It would be helpful to have information on the unit's role in drafting responses to parliamentary questions. I ask Mr. Fraser to provide a note on that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: I was surprised as well, which is the reason I posed the question. I ask Mr. Fraser to revert to us with a response.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: To return to the point raised by Deputy MacSharry concerning advertorials and the use of Fine Gael election candidates, who made the decision to include the individuals in question, whether Senators or councillors, in the advertorials? Who made the decision?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: Did they so independently?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: The SCU did not give any advice.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: The editors made that decision. Why would they make that decision?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: Mr. Fraser carried out a review. Did he not ask why they made the decision?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: Mr. Fraser does not know why the newspapers used Fine Gael election candidates.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (3 May 2018)

David Cullinane: We do not know of any political direction because there may be a difference between a direction from the SCU and civil servants and a political direction that may have been given. There is no evidence that a political direction was given.