Results 1-20 of 258 for going forward speaker:Bernard Durkan

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (11 Apr 2024)

Bernard Durkan: ...Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of planning permissions applied for and refused by county in each of the past three years to date; the way such figures will inform housing policy going forward, with particular reference to giving the local population a chance to live in their local area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15908/24]

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Heritage Sites (21 Mar 2024)

Bernard Durkan: ...because everything is answered except the question that is fundamental to the issue, that is, how to restore the access that was there before September last. At that time, some of us put forward the idea of seeking an interim injunction to state the case for the State to access its lands freely and at will. We were told that would not be successful and that the legal advice was wrong....

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Bernard Durkan: ...delivery of the national development plan. The Minister may have some of that information and some of it may still be pending. Will he elucidate further the extent to which he has been able to go around the Departments to find out the progress of national development plan projects and find a way to loosen the system to allow it to go forward?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Bernard Durkan: ...be. In the first instance, the work of OPW in the management of public buildings, estates and arterial drainage all over the country is exemplary, with one or two exceptions. This work has been going on for some years. It has been very effective. The sad part about it is that objections to the proposals now seem to carry more weight than the proposals. We should remember that if a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Credit Servicers Directive: Discussion (13 Dec 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...is a common trend when I make a proposal. I may spend a significant amount of time on the proposal and examine it from all aspects, including those of the bank and the borrower. When it goes forward, I am told by junior officials in the vulture fund that the proposal has gone upstairs for decision. You can be sure the same decision will come back every time. The vulture funds...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (State Guarantees, International Financial Institution Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...when stability was a critical issue. We waited every day in this House to see how over European colleagues would react to our requests at the time for solidarity and assistance. It was touch and go for a long time, until the Italian representative came forward with a famous remark. Asked how long support for the banking system would go on, he said it would go on long as it took. That...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (State Guarantees, International Financial Institution Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: This is an important discussion. Deputy Doherty is right to probe this particular area. We were at the centre of the storm not so many years ago in relation to something of a similar nature, although from different origins. I remember being at a meeting in the oval room where the Commission meets. I think Viscount Davignon was its chair at the time and chaired that meeting. We were...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mortgage Resolution Processes (14 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue again and I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to respond. I brought this to the attention of the House some days ago. It still goes on. I alert the House about the degree to which lending agencies, namely investment funds, otherwise known as vulture funds, and some of the standard banks, are hustling...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: The Government and the Departments decided to err on the side of trying to meet the needs of the people. Two issues arise. First of all is it being suggested, and I am not saying Mr. Moloney suggested it, that other Departments should have cut down on expenditure in order to allow the Department of Health to get an increased level of expenditure. That is against the background of Covid...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (9 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of planning permissions applied for and refused by county in each of the past four years to date; the way such figures will inform housing policy going forward, with particular reference to giving the local population a chance to live in their local area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49234/23]

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...reasons given by the Minister and the reason for the measure in the first place, but I would ask that he look at it prior to Report Stage with a view to examining the various impacts and thinking forward into next year in view of the likelihood of property prices going down or up in the meantime. He might consider how that might affect the situation in relation to people who might want to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...that it would be urgent to ensure that the person involved be accommodated in any way possible. This has not happened and it has been dragging on for months and will continue to drag on. I am going to bring it up at a different level. It is an embarrassment and it should not have happened. Details have been with the medical card section for quite a long time. I strongly object to the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Financial Services (26 Oct 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...to meet the needs of the borrower and the lender. That has not been done. I have to say that bringing it to the floor of the House is deliberate in order to alert the Minister of State to what is going on behind the scenes. We had the issue where there was a proposal to abolish ATMs throughout the country by one lending institution, and it was changed. What is actually happening is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...extent different issues that have come up in the course of a year, whether on a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis, have affected the overall outcome by the end of the year. Otherwise, we are going to be into a situation where there is no end to the continuous call for more and more funding. The HSE is not an employment agency; we cannot solve everything that way. However, we need...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Heritage Sites (19 Oct 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...of Castletown House is maintained in a proper order. I hope some arrangement was reached. I also must again point out the anxiety of the residents. They are not unreasonable people and have put forward various suggestions over the past six months. The area through which the OPW was allowed to gain access to the lands and house at Castletown House is no longer available to it and...

Situation in the Middle East and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Statements (18 Oct 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I acknowledge the wisdom of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste in the work they have done and in putting forward the views of the Irish people, as they correctly saw them, at international fora. That is of great importance at a time of war. It is equally important for all of us in this House to be even-handed in the way we treat such issues. While something may seem like an atrocity to some...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Report of the Review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome our witnesses and thank them for their dedication and report. I want to clear up a couple of things. There was a suggestion in some of the responses we got that politicians were not possessed of knowledge of the real issues to deal with this subject, which I believe in the first instance is an issue of women's health. I reject any suggestion that as elected representatives we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Bernard Durkan: ...emergency departments throughout the country to a great extent. To what extent can HIQA do that in the future in order to have a command-centre-type response from the system? Otherwise we do not go forward to the extent we want. We need to confirm patient safety and security and to do the best we can to achieve safe and secure outcomes. If we want to achieve all those things, we need...