Results 15,261-15,280 of 26,537 for speaker:John McGuinness
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: That is the difference between what Mr. Griffin's Department does and what we do here. The Comptroller and Auditor General does not presume; he is obliged to deal with facts and figures. That is what causes us to meet here every Thursday. I do not want to presume; I want to know the qualifications held by the person involved.
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: There is another question to which I require an answer. Is the individual to whom we are referring the same person who paid out the money?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: So the person who paid out the money was an entry-level civil servant. He was trained by Mr. Colgan's outfit and therefore would have known what to expect when doing the job. According to Mr. Colgan, he would have known that there was a cascade of governance and assurance-type arrangements in place. In addition, there was an expectation that he would be reporting.
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: Is Mr. Griffin referring to the project in question?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: Does what Mr. Griffin just outlined in respect of the first two payment claims mean that the officer concerned did not see the paperwork, which was held in the North?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: That would have said "I looked at the paperwork and the figures are okay."
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: So that junior official relied on the expertise and sign-off of those two agencies.
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: When the document, which was short, came to the person in question, the cheque was issued on the basis that everything seemed okay because the other two agencies had signed off on it.
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: In the context of the point made by Deputy Nolan, is it not the case that they were negligent and that our Department has a case against them?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: So the answer to that question is "Yes."
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: As Deputy O'Donovan asked, were the Minister or the Secretary General informed at that point?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: No, when everything started to go wrong or when a sense of unease arose in respect of this matter. Was the Secretary General informed at that point?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: Was the Secretary General informed at that stage?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: Those individuals would have been less senior than the Secretary General.
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: Mr. Griffin is suggesting, therefore, that the information relating to this matter only reached a particular point in the management structure. Would it not have been raised at a meeting of the management advisory committee?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: Was it not raised at meetings of the MAC?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: Would it be possible for copies of the various items of paperwork to be supplied to the committee? I refer to the two letters signed by the Department and the document on which, as Mr. Griffin indicated, payment was based.
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: The other paperwork is not available and would not have been seen by anyone in the Department because it is held in the North.
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: Will Mr. Colgan and Mr. Griffin indicate whether there was a certain attitude towards whistleblowers which led to their being ignored? Was there a type of attitude that this was just some fellow who had a chip on his shoulder?
- Public Accounts Committee: Special Report 90 of the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General
The Bytel Project (16 Apr 2015) John McGuinness: And what of Mr. Griffin's Department at that time?