Results 281-300 of 1,776 for speaker:Derek Nolan

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Post Office Network (3 Mar 2015)

Derek Nolan: 591. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the remit and operational plan of the newly established post office network development group; if it will specifically affect post offices in Connemara, County Galway; if will re-iterate his support for the protection of post offices in Connemara; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9186/15]

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: I welcome Ms McGrath and her officials. In section 5.1 of the appropriation accounts the figure for overtime payments for OPW staff stood out. In the 2013 accounts more than 78 OPW specific grade staff received overtime payments in excess of €10,000. One person received €38,690 in overtime payments in 2013, while another person received €33,831 in 2012. This seems to...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: How can someone earn almost €40,000 in overtime payments? Ms McGrath mentioned individual cases, but as overtime payments are included in the report, I thought she might answer the question. The figures are not confined to 2013, the year of the EU Presidency. In 2012 one individual was paid €33,831 in overtime payments. Therefore, it is not isolated to 2013.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: On those individual cases where people are earning so much overtime, what is the base salary upon which almost €40,000 was earned in overtime?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: Reading into it and analysing it, it implies that the OPW's skills mix, contracts or staff policy does not fit. It is not new for the OPW to have engagements late into the evening, for example on heritage sites. It has been doing that since its inception.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: With some projects the OPW has the choice to use its own staff or outsource it for specific functions.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: Exactly. Does that not militate against Ms McGrath's key argument? Unlike other organisations the OPW has the ability to bring in agency staff, outsource or redirect staff.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: Do these particular payments as outlined in the report not ring alarm bells? Is there not a discussion on paying someone €40,000 in overtime? Surely it should not all be concentrated on one person. Other people should have a shot at overtime.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: So there is a policy being put in place to try to bring these payments down.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: I ask Ms McGrath to send us a note on 2014 if it is available, outlining the numbers of people who received over €10,000 and also the maximum number. I have a question on the agency issue for both Ms McGrath and the Comptroller and Auditor General. While I might be reading between the lines, is there a suggestion that some of the accounting procedures were done so that Departments...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: It could seem that there is no harm done or no money embezzled. However, this was happening at a time when cashflow was extremely restricted and the State was borrowing at extremely high rates. Also money that was spent and not surrendered was effectively borrowed and interest was being paid for on it. It was not exactly a harmless accounting figure, if it was being done deliberately or if...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: Was there any investigation of the motivations for doing so?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: Or explanations even.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: I think I have speculated on the Comptroller and Auditor General's behalf anyway.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: In the past when the OPW demanded that the money was paid upfront, which was probably good business practice, did Ms McGrath notice in November and December, for instance, more money was coming in than at other times of the year? We have come across in other Departments previously where in order to beat the end of year deadline cheques were suddenly written for capital projects at the end of...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: One of my first interactions with members of the OPW following my election as a Deputy was to have people knock on my door to ask if they could look at my paintings. They came in and lifted the paintings from the wall. We stood out for a minute and they catalogued everything. It later emerged that there was an intense investigation into missing paintings in the Leinster House complex....

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: Does that mean they are missing?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: The OPW started the process a few years ago.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: Has there been any voluntary return? Have people found art that they did not know they had in their living rooms? Have paintings miraculously appeared on walls where they were not previously?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Accounts 2013
Vote 13 - OPW
Chapter 4 - Accounting for OPW Agency Services (26 Feb 2015)

Derek Nolan: What is the value of the total amount outstanding?