Results 301-320 of 2,055 for speaker:Matt Shanahan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: Correct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: Yes. To answer the Deputy’s question, I might turn to some of those with me, as they are the ones involved in compiling reports and working at the coalface to grapple with this problem. The two areas where the capital tracker applies are not conducive to seeing lower levels of spending. They are only-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I might leave that open to our guests.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: When we were drafting the Bill, we engaged with the PBO and OPLA, which in particular was central to looking at this matter. It spoke to Departments and the understanding is that significant investment is already happening in ICT systems. The informal word it came back with was that it was assured reporting standards such as this would not be a problem across all Departments.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: We need to remember that this programme is in retrospect. The value of looking back is it tells us what we have done. It does not tell us what we are going to do. It is to be hoped it informs policy in the future as to how we might change that. The NIO's perspective might be more forward looking. The virtue of the Bill, as highlighted by colleagues, is to provide a transparent template...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: The reason for the five years, and the Deputy highlighted it herself, is that the most important thing is that this Bill will pass, in the first instance, that we would set the base standard and that this is where we would move from. When the OPLA was drafting the Bill, having regard to engaging with different Departments trying to get a feel for this, it felt that if the reporting timeframe...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I think the Deputy means 100 km/h.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I do not disagree with anything the Deputy said but this is a retrospective Bill, whereas he is talking about future policy, strategic capital development and all of that, which can be informed by the data that is there today. To his point, driving around will tell you where things are not happening, but the Bill offers much more granular detail and will allow us to create a platform on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: It is all departmental information we are depending on, so that is what we are talking to.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: Would the committee be able to make a recommendation for a shorter timeframe?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: The Bill will grant all assets and all assets realised, so it will capture anything in local government above €500,000 as long as the heading relates to assets.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: Grants from the Department will have to be captured within that to local government in the case of capital expenditure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I thank OPLA, the PBO and parliamentary colleagues, including the three here today, who have assisted me. Their participation has been really well received. They are smart people and they understand exactly what we are discussing. None of them has an axe to grind. There are no agendas here; this is really about trying to deliver better legislation, governance and better clarity on how we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: I invite my colleagues to make closing statements.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Threat of Bark Beetles to Plantations: Discussion (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: There are many things up for discussion, not least, the assessment of risk. Before we discuss the issue of beetles, and all of that, and the call for a forestry agency, would Mr. Delaney or the Department officials support the idea of a national forestry agency?

Written Answers — Department of Health: Tax Code (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: 1598. To ask the Minister for Health to review the taxation treatment of GP group practises (details supplied) with respect to the specific queries raised in correspondence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57169/23]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: 1652. To ask the Minister for Health what surveillance activity programme is taking place with respect to monitoring wastewater for Covid; the number of treatment plants that are being monitored as part of the health surveillance; if he will publish the latest data available to his Department on Covid concentrations in municipal wastewater schemes; and if he will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jan 2024)

Matt Shanahan: 1815. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his Department’s processes that consider the value for money question understanding that in 2017 a project build (details supplied) was estimated at less than €50 million, in 2021 it was estimated to cost close to €90 million and today the engineering block build is estimated to be costing over €100 million; if,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (14 Dec 2023)

Matt Shanahan: Deputy Canney and I, along with other members of the Regional Group, met representatives of foster families some weeks ago. There are very distinct challenges in the sector, not least access to pension entitlements. The Minister has had some engagement on this. It seems extraordinary that women who left the private sector workforce and took on foster care were not advised that they should...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (14 Dec 2023)

Matt Shanahan: Yes, residential care.