Tag Archives: Shane Ross

Pat Hickey, Olympic Council of Ireland

“We met a situation where a body that is supported by the taxpayer is now refusing to let representatives of that taxpayer to be part of this inquiry. It is something I take extremely seriously and the mood was very, very sombre indeed.

“It is a terrible spectacle and I think the OCI simply has its head in the sand over this issue…I think they feel somehow they are above accountability to the Irish people and to the government and that situation cannot be allowed to continue.”

Minister for Sport Shane Ross following a meeting with Pat Hickey in Rio last night

“(Mr Ross and I) had a great exchange of views. I’m restrained with what I can say because (I received) senior council’s opinion two days ago, which is that while there is an Irish citizen in jail that we have to be extremely careful in what we disclose.

He is innocent until proven guilty and anything we can say in disclosing would be prejudicial to a fair trial so we can do nothing until this trial has finished its natural course.”

Statement from Pat Hickey

Shane Ross and Pat Hickey hold ‘tense, frank’ meeting over tickets (Tom Hennigan, Irish Times)

Ticket row deepens as Pat Hickey refuses to answer Shane Ross’s questions in Rio (Independent.ie)

Pic: IOC

90200231

Shane Ross

There’s a populist right wing party to launch.

Huzzah!

Melanie writes:

This week on The Saturday Night Show It-girl and model Daisy Lowe will join Brendan to talk fashion, modelling and baking. Independent TD Shane Ross will be in studio to discuss whether or not he will lead a new party into Government. Irish actress and television host Caroline Morahan will drop by to talk about life in LA and her upcoming role in ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ in The Abbey Theatre. Plus Síle Seoige and a host of Irish stars will perform their charity single ‘Maybe this Christmas’.

The Saturday Night Show, RTÉ One, 21.45

(Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

00146723

[Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan with Justice Minister Alan Shatter last year]

“[Martin Callinan] was almost disdainful of the Public Accounts Committee, which is after all a democratic forum.
“He then went on to say that they [whistleblowers] should be dealt with by me, myself – meaning that he was important enough to do it, but not us.
“He went on to talk about being usurped by subordinates, which was an extraordinary phrase to use – again regarding his ‘subordinates’, as he calls them, as being second class citizens when they have every right to express a view, an opinion, and give evidence in public.”

Independent TD Shane Ross on RTE R1’s Morning Ireland this morning.

Ross criticises Garda Commissioner’s attitude at PAC (RTE)

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)

00141767[Head of Irish Water, John Tierney]

Independent TD Shane Ross joined Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio One this morning to discuss the €50million Irish Water has spent on consultants, so far.

Those paid include Ernst and Young, IBM, Accenture and Oracle.

During their discussion, Mr Ross said it was unacceptable that head of Irish Water John Tierney went on radio  yesterday discussing the cost without breaking the expense down in detail.

He also reiterated Richard Boyd Barrett’s claim made on Morning Ireland this morning, saying some of this money could have been used ‘to line the pockets of rich institutions’.

Shane Ross: “It’s completely unacceptable, it puts the whole resentment against water rates right back on the agenda and it makes those people, those people who are spending so much money already, which they can’t afford, deeply, deeply hurt and the fact…”

Sean O’Rourke: “But again, if..”

Ross: “…that the money is squandered, or apparently squandered in this way.”

O’Rourke: “If they get the set-up right, these are one-off starting costs. OK, there may be some care and maintenance issues but then it’s done and they don’t have to be revisiting it, time and time again.”

Ross: “Well most starting costs, Sean, are absolutely fine, if you can afford them. At the moment the people who are going to be asked to pay these starting costs, can’t afford them.”

O’Rourke: “But you cannot start off the biggest State enterprise, since the establishment of the ESB, we’re led to believe, and expect it to be done for nothing can you?”

Ross: “But that begs the question, why couldn’t it have been a different sort of funding. Why did they actually have to do it this way? Why couldn’t they look for a public private partnership here, to raise some money…”

O’Rourke: “Because they knew there would be a huge cry, as you well know, about the privatisation question.”

Ross: “You wouldn’t privatise it, you’d have a State majority which, you would have private money in there aswell, invest it, invested carefully and invest it in order to be vigilant and show people we’re not wasting money and not spending State money, as quangos always do, at will and regardless, regardless of the wishes of those people who are actually paying for it.”

O’Rourke: “But coming back to the consultants question, Shane. I mean the alternative might be to hire a load of people, give them jobs for life and, you know, index-linked pensions, that are paid for from taxpayers’ money saecula saeculorum, I mean this is initially expensive. They get in, they do the job and they’re gone, end of.”

Ross: “That is something which the Public Accounts Committee will have to look at, you may well be right there Seán, there may be other alternatives which will be extremely expensive as well. But I don’t believe that this sort of spending should go unchecked, unexplained to the people who are paying for it, and it needs to be, every single piece needs to come out under the Freedom of Information, in a Dáil committee so we know where the money is going, so we ensure that this sort of thing doesn’t happen again and we don’t allow them to spend money without being accountable to government. When Eamon Gilmore is surprised at this, what do you think the rest of us feel?”

O’Rourke: “Do you allow for the possibilty that every cent of this may be money wisely and well and carefully spent?”

Ross: “No, I don’t, I think that’s very unlikely. There’s a pattern of quangos, in the past, of always being able to hire consultants at will and bring out their chequebook and spend huge sums of money. No I don’t. I think there undoubtedly will be huge savings to be made in there.”

Listen back here

Major firms among those paid €50m by Irish Water (Irish Times)

Irish Water chief says €50m consultants’ fees good value (Newstalk)

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)

Meanwhile….

BdnIGMvCAAARyqw

John Tierney and Ivor Callelly.

Uncanny

Thanks Aidan

ross

The Central Remedial Clinic yesterday confirmed that money donated by the public is being used to top-up salaries of some its staff. The funds were raised by a separate company called the Friends and Supporters of the Central Remedial Clinic.

Independent TD Shane Ross who first raised the matter with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), spoke to Miriam O’Callaghan on last night’s Prime Time on RTE 1.

Miriam O’Callaghan: “What’s the significance of that latest information just mentioned there?

Shane Ross: “It’s absolutely staggering – I mean it was bad enough finding the €14 million yesterday where I brought it to the PAC, but I found this in the accounts of The Central Remedial Clinic Supporters, and the significance is this is, despite all their protestations in this extraordinary statement today that the majority of the funds goes towards development – the biggest item and biggest transfer from them to The Central Remedial Clinic last year, in 2012 was this €3 million figure – so, quite clearly, the interesting thing about this is they transferred €3 million to what they said – to top-up pension liabilities – without being specific – now that could be one person, it could be ten people, it could be 280 – we know nothing about it. But they have also made provision in the accounts suggesting that they don’t ever expect that money to be repaid.
“So this looks like it’s long term and and it’s interest free – it’s a staggeringly generous gesture – it’s a gift. And it’s a gift given to actually provide for the pensions of either one, or two hundred and fifty people, we don’t know – we’re going to know when they come before the PAC. But the significance of it is, those people who gave money to The Care Trust , who gave money to go to The CRC – did they think that it was going to top-up the pensions of people who were already being very well-paid?”

O’Callaghan: “What about people who might say, look – whatever money is fund-raised – what’s the difference whether it goes to pay and pensions of staff, or whether it goes to building something or buying new equipment?”

Ross: “I think that’s a good point – but what about that though is – I don’t think anyone would object if they said first of all, these guys are reasonably paid, they’re paid modest amounts, modest amounts of money – The Chief Executive is getting €106,000, originally – now getting €240,000, courtesy of the people who are giving money to the children.”

O’Callaghan: “Their own chief executive?”

Ross: “Yes, their own chief executive who is getting that. So the significance is that – look, this money is not going to the place where people intended it to go to. And the other thing is this, people forget The CRC, The Central Remedial Clinic – it gets €16 million, every year to start with – from the HSE, it’s getting a grant, €16 million as well. So what is this money for? – it’s at the discretion of the people in the Supporters Organisation which is supposedly a separate organisation – it’s getting extra money which it can do what it likes with. But the evidence in the latest account is that it’s using it for the staff, probably the well-paid staff , rather than using it for the children.”

O’Callaghan: “I suppose, but what about the wider issue? I met someone today, a woman who sends money monthly to a charity – a small amount because she doesn’t have much money, but she was very worried that the money she gives isn’t going to what she thought it was going for. Is it that charities in this State should be more clear about what the fund-raised monies go on – spell it out – and maybe we need a regulator for charities? ”

Ross: “Yeah, of course we do. It’s a very murky area – and it’s extremely shocking for people to find this kind of veil coming off charities – and that there are people in there who are obviously milking charities for their own good.
“I’ve got, as a TD today – I must say, having brought this to Public Accounts yesterday – and having talked about it on the radio – I’ve got absolutely jammed by complaints by people, the same situation as yourself – mostly women, funnily enough, saying – I work for them, I work for the Care Trust to help The CRC – I’ve sold tickets, I’ve done this, that and the other – or other people who’ve subscribed and say, ‘I’m never going to give another penny again, I thought it was going to help people with polio and now I feel it’s actually going to top-up rich people, people who are already rich’ – it’s a pretty shocking revelation.”

O’Callaghan: “And yet we must be careful, mustn’t we Shane, because charities still need funds, so we don’t want everyone to stop giving money to very well-run and very deserving charities?”

Ross: “No, that’s exactly why these accounts should be absolutely clear – we should know exactly how much the directors are paid, we should know how much their top-ups are worth and where every single penny is going. Now, The CRC is guilty of a lot of things, it’s also guilty of the fact that it constantly refused, before the internal audit, to give the amount that The Chief Executive was paid. And now we know why – because he was he was being paid such an extraordinary amount €7,500 a week.”

Watch here

Parents ‘disgusted’ over Central Remedial Clinic top-ups (RTE)

Previously: Did You Raise Money For Them?

That’s Why They Call It Fundraising

Thanks Shayna

Ross90313102(top: Shane Ross. Below: Anglo executives Matt Moran, left with David Drumm in 2007).

“Matt Moran, the Anglo chief financial officer granted immunity by the Director of Public Prosecutions, features in the latest transcripts. The tapes show him as a key figure in the Anglo hierarchy.”

“No inquiry would be credible without Mr Moran or other top Anglo executives, immunity or not. They are all central to the narrative. Indeed, the inquiry must call the DPP to explain the decision to grant immunity to Moran. Such immunities, while common in the US, are rare in Ireland. An inquiry without Moran would be incomplete; an inquiry with Moran is certain to be challenged in the courts. The inquiry is already looking like a busted flush.”

…

“In the latest tapes, Moran is heard discussing the flood of money leaving Ireland in late September 2008, just before the bank guarantee. Rich members of the elite, who helped to fuel the property boom, were shipping their money out of the country, fearing a bank bust. They were moving hundreds of millions into Germany and other safer havens just before the crisis erupted. No doubt they were being assisted in doing so by top bankers and stockbrokers. In this instance, despite their loud protests of financial patriotism, the financial top brass were looking after their rich clients. They were far from wearing the much flaunted “green jersey”, the excuse later used for much irregular activity.”

“Yet they were happy to insist that they were wearing the same green jersey when rescuing fellow bankers. It was apparently in the interests of Ireland that Anglo and Irish Life & Permanent should save each other for the good of the country while the personal wealth of the big financial fish was simultaneously in flight overseas.”

Independent TD and member of the Public Accounts Committee Shane Ross in yesterday’s Sunday Independent.

They played for time as countdown to catastrophe ticked away (Sunday Independent)

Previously: Hon Mayo

 (Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

Shane Ross TD (above) said that the selection of the auditors of the banks was of critical importance and expressed concern that bank boards stuck to their auditors like clams and paid them huge sums of money.

John Moran said he was happy to raise the issue with the banks but that in his opinion that it was an issue for the banks themselves.

Mr. Moran said the fact that the €3.6 billion error in government debt computations that continued to exist over such a long period was wholly regrettable. He said the creation of a finance and risk office within the Department of Finance was designed to prevent a reoccurrence of such an error throughout the department as a whole.

 

The Public Accounts Committee Has Been Told That The Banks have Adequate Capital To deal With Arrears (RTE)