Results 1-17 of 17 for 5 million segment:7363485
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Marc MacSharry: We no longer use the term "strategic communications unit". It only spent €2 million out of a potential €5 million, which was cut from €5 million to €2.5 million. There is no specific budget this year and, instead of 21 people, there are only 16 or 17 people devoted to communications.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Bobby Aylward: I welcome Mr. Fraser and all our other guests. I will begin with Vote 1, the President's Establishment. I note €3.7 million and then €2.6 million under various headings and then a sum €5 million. That comes to a total of €11.3 million in costs for the President's Establishment. Am I correct? I see €3.7 million in total gross expenditure and then on the...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) David Cullinane: There is an issue here. The Oireachtas committed initially to writing a cheque for less than €5 million. The cost has now increased to €20 million. I appreciate the point that is being made by the Accounting Officer, that there has been consultation with Oireachtas Members and Opposition leaders, but people will be concerned about the fact that costs have increased from...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) David Cullinane: ...but it is reasonable for us to ask the question at this point. We have a commission that was established and given terms of reference for which the budget was an estimated cost of less than €5 million. The estimated cost is now €20 million, which indicates to me that there is a problem. I attended one meeting and I can have my own perspective and others will have theirs...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Mr. Martin Fraser: The budget was €5 million. It was cut to €2.5 million. We spent €2 million and will now spend less than €1 million. That is the scale of the reduction.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Mr. Martin Fraser: The overall cost to date for this commission, as I have it, is €5 million. As can be seen, it was €3 million at the end of 2017. I believe it will cost north of €20 million, or more.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) David Cullinane: Mr. Fraser is saying that he cannot give any explanation for the increase in cost from less than €5 million to €20 million because he does not think it would be helpful for him to comment.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Marc MacSharry: There was, therefore, only a 50% reduction in the €5 million figure? Was €2.5 million kept?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) David Cullinane: ...It cannot just be that it is taking far longer because we are talking about a cost that is four times the initial cost. I would like a little more detail as to why the cost has increased from €5 million to €20 million.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) David Cullinane: ...because I am not suggesting anybody is culpable or responsible. I am trying to get answers on behalf of the taxpayers who will have to foot this bill. The cost has increased from less than €5 million to €20 million. I am not saying that is the fault of the Department, the Taoiseach, the Opposition or everybody here. Rather, I am saying it has happened and cost is an...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Mr. Seamus McCarthy: The 2017 Appropriation Account for the President's Establishment, Vote 1, shows gross expenditure of €3.7 million, of which expenditure under the centenarian's bounty scheme accounted for €1.13 million. The balance, totalling €2.6 million, is related to expenses of the President's Establishment. In addition to the direct charges on the Vote, other...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Mr. Seamus McCarthy: No. Allied services are included in the €5 million.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Bobby Aylward: From where does the €5 million come?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Mr. Martin Fraser: The SCU was established in 2017 when it spent approximately €50,000. It received an allocation of €5 million in 2018. Approximately eight extra staff were appointed to the former GIS.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) David Cullinane: The initial cost was €5 million.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Marc MacSharry: The €5 million of this year's budget has been distributed elsewhere.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 1 - President's Establishment
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (7 Feb 2019) Marc MacSharry: ...are not allowed to speak about X and they should speak about Y. They comprise the Government communications unit, yet there will be no more communications. The perception is that, while the €5 million might be gone, this unit still exists and all communication is being streamlined through it, with many of its people still on staff.