Results 18,241-18,260 of 26,579 for speaker:John McGuinness

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: The note the clerk will provide next week will outline all of the issues around that. It may well be that we will make a different recommendation when members have judged what has been said in the note. The concerns Deputy Deasy has can be taken on board in the context of that conversation.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: I recognise that there is an issue there. That is why we need to get the background note to ensure that we are informed in any decision we make.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: From our point of view, it is a recommendation not a decision. I agree with Deputy Deasy that we cannot let our decision interfere with our work programme. It will not be dealt with immediately anyway.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: The decision we made relates to general compellability on this issue.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: This is where our difficulty is.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: I do not know. We can deal with that then. I think we should just move on with this particular piece of work because there is no other issue for other organisations. We do not know as yet but for now, this is the only problem we have. We are dealing with it and asking for compellability. The case is prepared and I think we just send it to the CPP as agreed. I will now return to the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: If there is an issue in respect of the spending of public monies within the remit of the Committee of Public Accounts or coming from the different agencies, as was the case with the €95 million, the answer is yes, we can. A total of €95 million was involved in 2013.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: The questions that were put to the various witnesses that appeared before us have not been fully answered. It is relative to that issue alone that we require the answers. As soon as we get that sorted, we will conclude our report on this particular matter but we cannot conclude it because the board members who were here the last day said that they did not know the answers to a number of...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: It does not allow us to investigate the company. It allows us to investigate how the public monies were spent. In this instance, the agencies involved were wide-ranging and the money amounted to €95 million. Going back over previous committees, the National Roads Authority investigated the overspend on various road programmes. It involved looking at how much different contractors...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: In the context of the Departments' accountability to us, we bring in the accounting officer as we did before. In this instance, the body spending the money was brought before us as well as the Accounting Officers because they had control of the information and it was the only way we could get the information from them.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: If the Deputy wishes, we can ask for a further extension to involve ourselves in other areas.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: One of the what?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: It is a matter for the Department in the first place. We would take it up with it. If something was done incorrectly or was wrong and needed to be accounted for, this is the forum to which it should be accountable. I turn to correspondence dated 10 April from Ms Noreen O'Sullivan, Garda Commissioner, on the purchase of digital recording equipment to be noted and published. Correspondence...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: Eirgrid is included in Schedule 2 of the legislation and, as such, does not come within the remit of the committee. It is specifically included in the legislation to exclude it from the remit of the committee.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: To go back to what Deputy Collins was saying, this may be a matter we should recommend comes under the committee's remit.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: I do not know what he is referring to.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: I want to bring another matter to the attention of the committee. Mr. Dorr wrote to me directly, strictly confidentially, as "John McGuinness, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee". In that communication, he said that: In the public forum you belittled an email sent by me to the committee clerk on the evening of 9 April 2013, and you demeaned me. It is very easy to score cheap shots...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: Powers of compellability are not necessarily directed at any of the individuals; it is a question of the issue. As far as public moneys are concerned, I stress again that €95.5 million was at stake in 2013. Anyone associated with the allocation of that money, any agency that gave funding to Rehab, Rehab itself and individuals who may have information relevant to the matter can be...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (1 May 2014)

John McGuinness: Once we get powers of compellability, all or some of those agencies and individuals can be requested to come to the meeting and give the information that we deem necessary for our investigation.