Results 16,861-16,880 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: Given that the processing of passports through the Passport Express service is taking up to eight weeks for a large number of people, should those who plan to travel within an eight-week timeframe not include their travel documents with their application in order that the Passport Office knows which applicants will run into difficulty? I know the Passport Office wants to take applications in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: Yes, they cannot access other options.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: That is exactly the point. People are in the system and they cannot change the route they will go through.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: The Chairman is going to give me a bit of extra time.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: I ask the Chairman to put me down to come back in then. I wish to deal with another topic involving a small amount of money relative to the Department's budget. Two centres are funded - the cultural centre in Paris and the arts centre in New York. Based on replies to parliamentary questions a sizeable amount of funding is given to the arts centre in New York from the US side - way more...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: I can see that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: I can see that there is a real value in that. What about the one in Paris?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: I do not have a difficulty with the spending, which is very modest. I am trying to understand the process by which the locations are selected. It strikes me that the cultural centre in the UK should feature given the relationship there is.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: It is also a collective, corporate effort in respect of our offices. It is taking time that it should not be taking.

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: When I was in Tanzania, I listened carefully to different issues. It was like being at home in Ireland. Tanzania has the fastest economy in east Africa. We were asked to look at gender violence, which we are very familiar with here. We have huge difficulties with it. There were many other issues, including lack of infrastructure, just like here. What struck me was the last presentation...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: I noted that €2 million in the Vote under foreign aid was unspent and returned to the Exchequer. I understand that may happen where something that is intended to be done does not happen. Was there a specific reason for the return of that €2 million? We hear repeatedly about commitments made internationally when humanitarian crises take place. Those commitments are not...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: When the amount in aid is calculated internationally, is the amount paid what is calculated rather than the amount that is pledged?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: Was there a specific reason the €2 million was unspent?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: The Department is going to come back to us on that anyway. We are talking about expanding the number of missions overseas. The Department has described a scenario in which there can be a change in the profile of people taking over in terms of family situation and so on. While the buildings themselves are one thing, the fit-out, creature comforts and the transport of possessions are another...

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: My final question relates to the election observer roster. Is it an open process or is it something that is handled within the Department? How is it managed?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: Does the Department publish the grants that have been paid or the list of people involved? Where is the information on the current roster that is coming to an end kept?

Public Accounts Committee: 2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: Sure.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: House Purchase Schemes (21 Jun 2018)

Catherine Murphy: 77. To ask the Minister for Finance if an analysis or a survey has been undertaken to measure the uptake and success of the help to buy scheme; if the scheme will be extended and or modified in budget 2019 to take into account market increases in the valuations of dwellings for sale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27278/18]