Results 14,961-14,980 of 26,396 for speaker:David Cullinane

Extreme Weather (Miscellaneous Provisions Bill) 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: Absolutely. We must look after him as well.

Extreme Weather (Miscellaneous Provisions Bill) 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: It is ironic, I suppose, in some respects that we are moving this Bill on a day when it is so beautiful outside and the sun is shining. That is a result of the lottery system we have.

Extreme Weather (Miscellaneous Provisions Bill) 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: Extreme weather events are very rare. Weather events such as Storm Ophelia and the snow we witnessed recently are not everyday occurrences. They are rare and that is their nature. It is why Met Éireann and the Government, to be fair, take all this seriously. It is the reason we have different categories of warning, with the highest being a status red alert. The Bill does three...

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: Hear, hear.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: I wish to raise a more fundamental point in regard to this correspondence. It is fair to say that when Accounting Officers come in and we put very detailed and specific questions to them, they will not always have the necessary information at their fingertips, so it is reasonable that follow-on information is sometimes needed. Most are very helpful in that regard and we get the information...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: I just wanted to make one point on this because this could happen again. If an Accounting Officer feels that he or she was treated unfairly, we could have correspondence arriving again. This is unusual and is the first such letter I have seen. I am not sure if during the lifetime of the previous Public Accounts Committee similar letters were sent. First, I do not have a difficulty with...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: I think in that instance, the Chairman did stop a number of questions that were being put. That is the only way we can control issues like that. In fairness, on the day I think that was done. I am not going to get into the rights or wrongs of what happened. People can make up their own minds on that but I do not think we can just cheaply dismiss his letter. It probably took a lot for him...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: Could I say something, having re-read the final paragraph of the letter again? I do not think, to be fair to Mr. Ó Foghlú, that he was suggesting that he would not come in again. He was making the point that he does not want to be placed in a difficult position again. I just wanted to clarify that, to be fair.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: It has been fascinating for me and, I imagine, for the committee to shine a spotlight on this whole area of intellectual property in institutes of technology and universities. I think the Chair is right about the Technological Higher Education Association, THEA, because we had a global report from the HEA that looked at governance of intellectual property. I have to go back over the report...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: No. I have serious problems with this and want it carried over.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: I have a question for the Comptroller and Auditor General. This document is the response to further information requested on 22 March. It is from TII. On page 4, there is an analysis of one PPP project and, basically, it sets out that traditional procurement with tolling would cost the State €227.780 million, whereas the preferred tender option would cost €10 million. With...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: Has the Comptroller and Auditor General read the document?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 5 - Fiscal Transparency (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: I will be very brief. Does the Comptroller and Auditor General agree that it is fair to say that at this point we do not have a fully consolidated balance sheet of all State funding in and out?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 5 - Fiscal Transparency (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: If I were to pick something from that chapter, that to me is the key issue. What is Mr. Moran's view on it and how and when is it going to change? I am sorry I missed some of the earlier questions. I had to do a media interview. The question might have been answered.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 5 - Fiscal Transparency (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: The question is if, and when, we will have a consolidated set of accounts for all income in and expenditure out.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 5 - Fiscal Transparency (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: Finally, paragraph 5.15, on page 72 of the report, states, "The report also noted that there was no uniform set of accounting rules and procedures applying to government departments, extra-budgetary funds, semi-state bodies, local governments and public corporations." It goes on to state that four recommendations have been made to correct or address this. Addressing the Comptroller and...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 5 - Fiscal Transparency (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: If that is the case, is it not extraordinary then that there are no uniform rules and procedures?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 5 - Fiscal Transparency (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: That is not so, with respect, if uniform accounting rules and procedures in place are taking best practice across all of the Departments. If one does not have uniformity, it is difficult for those who do not have accounting backgrounds, such as myself and members of the Committee of Public Accounts, to understand what is happening and get an accurate reflection.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 5 - Fiscal Transparency (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: Notwithstanding my view, the report made four recommendations in this area and it states none of them has been implemented to date. Have any of them been implemented since?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 5 - Fiscal Transparency (19 Apr 2018)

David Cullinane: My final point is we do not have that central view. We have the report which makes four recommendations. Mr. Moran was not sure whether they were implemented or not. The Comptroller and Auditor General states none of them was implemented.