Results 15,281-15,300 of 26,396 for speaker:David Cullinane
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: Okay.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: I will come back to those ones in the work programme when we get to that. On the Higher Education Authority, may I just make a point about a different issue, if I can,-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: -----because the correspondence was raised previously? I wish to raise the issue of Waterford IT. I was informed by the head of the Higher Education Authority that, in December, the report commissioned by the authority into the funding of intellectual property and the activities relating to commercialising intellectual property in Waterford was complete, with the authority and being...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: It is very frustrating. It would be better for the institute if this were published as soon as possible. I just cannot understand why we still have not seen it although it is March.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: Carlow.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: Forgive my ignorance here, but I understand the technological university process as I pay close attention to it, having regard to what is happening in the south east. My understanding of this is that the merger process was in place without being underpinned by legislation. The legislation was on hold for a long time; it was pretty much suspended because there were political differences....
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: They had further advances to spend €4,000 in one case. Those engaged in the proposed Connacht-Ulster alliance spent €5,000 and those engaged in the proposed merger of Waterford IT and IT Carlow spent just short of €100,000, but more than €571,000 has been spent on the proposed Munster merger. The fees are also striking when we consider what the smaller companies...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: As the Chairman is aware, I have raised this issue consistently. It is wise for sectoral committees to observe the work of the Committee of Public Accounts. If these committees feel that we are encroaching on their work in any way, they have an absolute entitlement to inform us about that and write to us so I have no difficulty with that whatsoever. We have consistently said that we do not...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: No.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: Has the committee written to RTÉ?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: This committee has a very clear role to play.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: I do not think it is unusual at all because this is a topical issue. One could also argue that political charges have been made.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: No but we need to be upfront. Political charges have been made in the Dáil Chamber by many parties, which they are entitled to make. This committee must examine the processes and procedures and the logic behind the setting up of this committee in the first place. We were told that this committee was set up to save money-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: ------achieve efficiencies and to streamline communications within different Departments and the work of the public service and the Civil Service. The difficulty is and the concern, if I can call it that, that many of us have is that the unit became something else and is being used for party political purposes. The Committee of Public Accounts has an absolute obligation to see if that was...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: We can certainly park the political charges and we will deal with them outside of this committee. The Taoiseach took ownership of this project and I call on him to come before the Committee of Public Accounts. I also call on Mr. Fraser as the head of the public service, Mr. Robert Watt who is the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and Mr. John Concannon...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: We all have concerns and I share all of the concerns outlined by Teachta Shane Cassells about regional publications. On the face of it, it seems as if the unit pulled off a very slick, almost sly operation and our job is to test it. Allegations and political charges are being made. It is for the Dáil Chamber to deal with the matter. What we have to do as a committee is to evaluate...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: To be fair to everyone, I was upfront about saying that political charges were being made but the place to make them is in the Dáil Chamber, not the Committee of Public Accounts. We were all very clear on that. We have spent a long time on correspondence, and in an effort to move this forward, given that the Taoiseach will be before the select committee, I think that bringing in the...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: Having made a proposal previously, I agree with the process of inviting the Accounting Officers in as quickly as possible and proceeding from there.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: Could I add a point-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 Mar 2018)
David Cullinane: I agree with asking for the business case. There was a very good report in The Sunday Business Poston this issue. The newspaper got information under a freedom of information request that relates to correspondence, emails and exchanges between the unit and the political side. If they are accurate, it was very interesting that clear direction was given around the advertisements in the...