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Sunday 20 September 2020
Simon Harris has defended the role of the Public Accounts Committee following criticism yesterday.
Two Oireachtas Committees are at odds over which one should probe spending at the Hepatitis C support group.
Here’s everything you need to know about what’s happening in Irish politics right now…
The Public Accounts Committee was told it can’t question Irish Water boss John Tierney
“In that area, €450,000 wouldn’t be worth a semi-detached residence.”
But Mary Lou McDonald has been quick to come to his defence.
The Public Accounts Committee has published its report into the penalty points system today.
The former Rehab Group CEO has taken High Court action against the PAC.
Angela Kerins has launched legal action against ‘deeply distressing’ inquiry into her involvement with Rehab.
The former Rehab Group CEOs refused to appear before the committee in April.
TD Simon Harris said that the Clinic’s board showed “blatant disregard” for the HSE when it hired Brian Conlan.
During today’s PAC meeting, Shane Ross questioned how the HSE could not know about the CRC’s charitable wing. He said it took him just 20 minutes to discover its existence.
Former CRC chair Hamilton Goulding will attend, as will his successor Kieran Timmins.
*Though it’s still a whopping €159 million.
The Public Accounts Committee is due to hold further hearings on the scandal hit disability clinic next week.
The Public Accounts Committee will now seek talks with another Dáil committee overs its efforts to compel the former Rehab CEOs.
John O’Brien, the former head of the Garda Traffic Corps, told the PAC that GSOC failed to act on foot of a report he carried out on the penalty points system in 2008.
The Public Accounts Committee was also told that about 130,000 more cars were taxed this year following an end to the practice where vehicles could be declared as “off-road” after the fact.
What else will the folks on Kildare Street be discussing?
John McGuinness said it wasn’t an attempt to grab headlines.
It was outlined in the Dáil yesterday that discretionary medical cards won’t be returned until Cabinet comes up with a ‘legal formula’.
John McGuinness’s call for two senior health officials to resign during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee yesterday has been criticised by some of his colleagues.
John McGuinness called on the HSE’s Director General and the Secretary General of the Department of Health to resign.
The Public Accounts Committee will now seek outside legal advice as it continues efforts to compel former Rehab executives to come before it.
Tony O’Brien, Director General of the HSE, will give the lowdown to the PAC this morning.
The Oireachtas Health Committee is seeking to change the rules that currently prevent any other Oireachtas committee from investigating matters that are already being probed by the powerful Public Accounts Committee.
Solicitors for the former Rehab boss had accused the Public Accounts Committee of being biased against her.
Moran said his main objective was for Ireland to exit the Troika bailout and we’ve done that now.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan said that it was with “great regret” that he accepted Moran’s resignation as secretary general of the Department of Finance this morning.
Kerins’s solicitor says the former CEO of Rehab was hopitalised after her last appearance.
It is alleged that the employees were making payments to a number of individuals that were “not appropriate”.
The Public Accounts Committee is seeking powers of compellability in the case of the two former CEOs at the disability organisation.
Members of the Public Accounts Committee will discuss the ongoing controversy at Rehab and whether they should compel its former CEOs, Frank Flannery and Angela Kerins, later today.
The company said it will publish the content of an affidavit in which a whistleblower claimed managers took ‘kickbacks’ in return for guaranteeing school bus route contracts.
Missing policies, a tussle between public and private, nice earners and losing touch with the frontline: it’s not pretty.
Angela Kerins, her family and Rehab’s relationship with Complete Eco Solutions is under scrutiny again. What is it all about?
Solicitors’ letters were fired off to the charity group last night.
What’s going on in Leinster House? Well, as you asked…
Angela Kerins has told the Public Accounts Committee she is unwell, but Frank Flannery says he simply can’t help.
John McGuinness said the last time answers had to be “dragged” out of Rehab – today they want answers on public money and the group’s governance.
MORE THAN THREE-quarters of people would support the government looking into the prospect of a four-day work week, according to a new survey.
This means doing the same job for the same salary, but over four days rather than five.
There have been calls for this idea to be explored already and the Four Day Week Ireland campaign today released details on its public attitude survey conducted last month.
Two out of three respondents said a four-day work week is “realistic and achievable” in the medium term.
67% of employers said they support the idea and 46% said it would be “feasible” to trial in their workplace.
“The four-day week, with no loss of pay, offers the potential of a genuinely better future for workers and employers alike,” said Joe O’Connor, director of campaigning with Fórsa trade union.
What may once have seemed like a radical concept is now, for many, a reasonable and rational ambition. The Covid-19 pandemic has further disrupted societal and workplace norms, while illustrating the potential for very different models of work.
So today we’re asking: Would you support a four-day work week?
Poll Results:
Share your story: voices@thejournal.ie
Sunshine and patchy clouds
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Min: 8 °C
Some sun; fog early in the day
Max: 20 °C
Min: 11 °C
Mostly cloudy, showers around; cooler
Max: 18 °C
Min: 7 °C
