Results 18,201-18,220 of 26,579 for speaker:John McGuinness

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance
Chapter 1 - Exchequer Financial Outturn for 2012
Chapter 2 - Government Debt
Finance Accounts 2012 (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: We now move to No. 7, 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts; Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance; Chapter 1 - Exchequer Financial Outturn for 2012; Chapter 2 - Government Debt and Finance Accounts 2012. Before we commence, I ask members, witnesses and those in the Visitors Gallery to switch off their mobile telephones. Also, I advise...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: Yes. It will have that effect.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: We have often questioned the Accounting Officers that come before us regarding their spend on legal advice, accountancy advice and so on.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: The Comptroller and Auditor General might comment on it.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: The application for compellability will clarify that for us-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: -----and arising from that we can take it from there.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: We have had a legal opinion-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: -----and we have our application to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. It will get legal opinion - God bless the legal profession-----

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: -----and we will then make up our own minds. Following public money is first and foremost in my mind.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: Can we agree our agenda for Thursday, 15 May 2014, which is 2012 Annual Report and Appropriation Accounts of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 4: Vote Accounting; Chapter 12: Contract Management in Education PPP Projects; Vote 26: Education and Skills, National Training Fund Accounts 2012? Agreed. I propose to adjourn the meeting until the Dáil deals with its business.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: The work programme is now on the screen. We will sit next week but not the following week due to the European and local elections, so we will deal with the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on contract management in education public-private partnership, PPP, projects; Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills; and the National Training Fund account 2012. In the context of the work...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: -----the various other items of work that we must conclude, and to set out the timeframe for any report that we might publish or complete. We received correspondence from Mr. Michael Brosnan regarding a number of issues with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I will ask the clerk to draft a note on it so that we might have the specific questions that are required to be...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: The CPP's examination of the application for compellability will bring all of that into play. Last week, Deputy Fleming raised the issue of the number of organisations in receipt of substantial public funds that, by way of legislation, were not mentioned in this committee's review of how those funds were spent. The application before the CPP will start to clarify all of that matter in a...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: No. Our application is specific to our current investigation and what we want to do to conclude it.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: The decision arising from that will probably impact on our remit as it stands and define it better for us. Once we have that definition, as it were, we can decide to amend it to include such and such and make an application to the Dáil in order to cover those agencies that will be able to answer more directly than an Accounting Officer in respect of, for example, school transport.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: No, since they are different. It would require separate legislation, as they are set up on the basis that they cannot be made accountable to our committee. This is an issue, given the amount of public money they receive directly from the Government, and they may be addressed in that context. They should be accountable to us. The rest should be accountable to audits. Does the Comptroller...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: No. We will clear the application today. Members have agreed to make it, but we wanted to ensure that they had sight of it today. Afterwards, the application will be sent. We understand that the regulations and protocols are in place for the CPP to deal with an application for compellability. It will be a matter of weeks.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: Are the minutes of the meeting of 1 May 2014 agreed? Agreed. Next are matters arising from the minutes. The committee has been circulated with a draft of the application of the committee for compellability in the context of our ongoing examination of the spend of public funds of Rehab. The application will now be submitted to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. Is that agreed?...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (8 May 2014)

John McGuinness: It was nothing else only an error in the office. We produced a bank stabilisation report. Then we wrote to the individuals concerned and they wrote back. They did not appear on the correspondence list until now, inadvertently. No. 3A.2 is correspondence regarding the sale of Bord Gáis Energy. This is to be noted and published. No. 3A.3 is correspondence dated 2 May 2014 from the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Garda Stations Closures (6 May 2014)

John McGuinness: 201. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the future plans for the Garda station at Ballyragget, County Kilkenny; if the local community has been consulted on the plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19975/14]