Results 4,281-4,300 of 5,157 for speaker:Mairéad Farrell

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Budget Priorities Exiting Covid-19 Pandemic: Discussion (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I was not suggesting that Social Justice Ireland is calling for a return to austerity. My apologies. I think Dr. Healy may have misunderstood my question. My question was more regarding the fact that he is clearly talking about an infrastuctural deficit we have had. I am in complete agreement in that regard. It left us on the back foot going into this crisis in terms of small classroom...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Budget Priorities Exiting Covid-19 Pandemic: Discussion (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I thank Ms Rogers. Unfortunately, I only have two minutes left so I must move quickly on but what she said was interesting. Dr. Kinsella recently wrote: "It would be unwise to bet the house on corporation taxes bringing us into the black". In the context of global tax reform, which the Government is assuming will reduce corporation tax receipts gradually by €2 billion, IFAC noted...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Budget Priorities Exiting Covid-19 Pandemic: Discussion (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: We will move on-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Budget Priorities Exiting Covid-19 Pandemic: Discussion (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na daoine atá ann inniu. I thank Dr. Kinsella, Dr. Healy, Ms Murphy, Ms Bennett and Ms Rogers for their attendance and for their assistance to the committee. The committee's next meeting is in private session at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 16 June 2021.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Budget Priorities Exiting Covid-19 Pandemic: Discussion (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: Go raibh maith agat. I am going to try Deputy Aindrias Moynihan again.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Budget Priorities Exiting Covid-19 Pandemic: Discussion (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I ask Dr. Kinsella to keep his response very brief. We are over time.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Relations (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: 111. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the mechanisms that are in place in his Department to ensure that all bilateral agreements with Israel apply only to Israel proper and do not benefit those territories illegally occupied by Israel in 1967; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30090/21]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Government Procurement (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: 250. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of staff members employed in the Office of Government Procurement tendering advice service; and the cost of wages in 2019. [30282/21]

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I apologise for being late. I had some technical difficulties, but I seem to be okay now. Ar dtús, gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as teacht os comhair an choiste. Tá sé i gcónaí suimiúil nuair a thógann daoine an t-am chun labhairt linn faoi chúrsaí éagsúla. The Minister of State said, "The single largest casualty by...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I thank the Minister of State. That is very interesting. That will be great, especially since 2026 will be a centenary year. I fully understand the forms are already printed. We will not ask the CSO to redo and reprint them all. I have another question on Vote 6. I did not realise this discussion was really about the census. If the Minister of State does not have the response to Vote...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I have a question about Vote 6. It does not relate to the census, so maybe it can be brought back if the Minister of State does not have the answer. It relates to legal fees paid to counsel. Under Vote 6, the Office of the Chief State Solicitor stated that it is fair to say fees paid by the State are lower than those in private practice. I am quite interested in the State's overall level...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I thank the Chair. When I joined the meeting all I heard was "census" so I got confused.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I have a quick follow-up question. I note the Minster of State said there are cost controls on legal fees. Is that across all Departments?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I have a question on the census and the Irish language. It is my understanding there is a question about speaking Irish, and around 2 million people would say "Yes". Can there be a follow-up question, potentially, that drills down into this and is a bit more specific? Can oral or written ability be rated so we can clarify the level of Irish spoken? That would be very useful.

National Recovery and Resilience Plan: Statements (2 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: An tseachtain seo caite, d’ardaigh mé cé chomh seafóideach is a bhí sé plé a dhéanamh ar an gcoiste aisghabhála agus athléimneachta an tseachtain ina dhiaidh gur cuireadh isteach aighneacht an Rialtais don choiste seo. Nuair atáimid ag breathnú ar an bhfigiúir seo, is figiúir uafásach mhór atá i gceist...

Maternity Services: Motion [Private Members] (2 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: Women are an afterthought in many instances, but particularly with regard to healthcare. Over the decades, time and again we have seen scandal after scandal in women's healthcare. That must stop now. It is unacceptable for maternity care to be pushed to the margins as we move out of lockdown. While golfers are back on the greens and we will be able to drink a pint outside from next week,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Uasal Fraser as teacht os comhair an choiste seo chun an t-ábhar fíorthábhachtach seo a phlé. Deputy Stanley was asking about how the increase of €81,000 came about. I heard Mr. Fraser's response that the Minister wanted a figure of less than €300,000 but to this day, I have not received clarification as to how an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I thank Mr. Fraser for being so frank in his response; it is very refreshing. He mentioned that we do not have a public pay body. Does he think there should be one that would examine it in a more analytical way?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I thank Mr. Fraser. I am in full agreement with him on that. Over the past months, the key thing that has continually been used as reasoning for this pay increase was that first, it was commensurate with the scale of responsibility but as Deputy Stanley clearly outlined, people with similar jobs are on much less pay. Also, as Deputy Stanley said, the Secretary General with responsibility...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Mairéad Farrell: I want to be clear, because that is something that is repeatedly said back to me when I ask questions about this, I am in no way suggesting that this was not above board, that the person who was chosen should not have been chosen or anything of that sort. The point is that we keep being told that this €81,000 pay increase was needed and was the only way we could attract someone to the...