Results 48,661-48,680 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: It deals with the same kind of issue. To me, this is the most serious flaw in the legislation, which has many good points. The context is that the Minister has suggested I do not appreciate how little control Cabinet holds over Government Deputies and Senators. I do not have his 30 years in the Oireachtas but I have read political scientists who agree we have the most centralised control...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: We have that opinion, and I have the benefit of having come in here for two years with new eyes and seen what I have seen. For example, the Technical Group cannot speak on the Order of Business. We asked for a single word to be changed in Standing Orders but we cannot have this done and, as we saw, Deputy Catherine Murphy was ejected from the Chamber last week for trying to make a point....

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: I am not suggesting that the Opposition is any less impartial than the Government, as it is not. There are two questions. What is the right composition of a committee in order to maximise public faith in the committee? Is whatever will be agreed as robust as possible in the face of abuse from a mischievous Government?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, although the Opposition does not control a committee. We are not suggesting that the Opposition gets more representation; I support Deputy Fleming's suggestion of parity. The public would have more faith in a committee balanced at 50:50 only because they would know that the Whip cannot be imposed. The Whip has been imposed by this and the last Government. I imagine people being...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: It is my experience of the last two years.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: This is a sensible amendment in terms of what composition would give the public the most faith in these inquiries' being as independent as the Oireachtas can ever be. The Oireachtas is controlled by the Cabinet. At committee level, that control can be micro. For example, when the finance committee was sending an invitation to Professor Patrick Honohan, Deputy Mathews tried to get the...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: The point is that it is digitally stored outside the jurisdiction. This is the key.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: It is in there also.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: The Chairman's first question was on the Information Commissioner's opinion on the new legislation dealing with the fee regime. Is that correct? Was that the Chairman's question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: Now that the Chairman has let the scope of the meeting creep towards the new legislation - I am eternally grateful for his leadership in this regard - I would be very interested to know the Information Commissioner's view on whether the new legislation should introduce a fee for FOI requests. The committee has debated this issue at some length.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: We will. I thank the Information Commissioner. I would very much like her thoughts on the fact that in the new insolvency legislation there will be a publicly available list of those who have availed of insolvency deals. The committee has dealt with this issue. To my mind, it is a name and shame policy. We do not know who the bondholders are; we do not know how much was guaranteed, but a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, or generally. We all interact with Departments all the time. I know Departments that I find very useful in terms of giving information and Departments, or elements within them, that go to great lengths to ensure one gets nothing. Perhaps it is not a fair question. If she is not comfortable answering it that is fine, but I would genuinely be interested in her view.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: It seems the Information Commissioner has been ignored by the two groups she just referenced. She has been ignored by the political apparatus. If I understand matters correctly, none of the 36 recommendations made by her was taken on by the last committee. This appears to show that she has been ignored by the political establishment. It has taken three years to get this report from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: We are well used to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: I agree. I would like to address two recommendations. One relates to NAMA and the other to the credit institutions scheme, both of which relate to the Department of Finance. Her recommendation is that both institutions are covered by FOI within the protections of the Act. Can we start with the credit institutions scheme? I guess I have the same question on each. I will give her an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: The Department has the information but it refuses to release it because, apparently, information about how much covered banks were holding in deposits of up to €100,000 five years ago is commercially sensitive. That is an example of what I am dealing with as a parliamentarian. I am interested in hearing her view about the type of information relating to the NAMA and the credit...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: We looked at a parliamentary question. It turns out that the Minister of State with responsibility for public service reform and the OPW, who was in opposition at the time, asked a parliamentary question and was told he could not have it because it was confidential information.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Ms O'Reilly for her report and for attending today. I tried to read a lot of the report but it is very technical. While I acknowledge that there is a great deal of technical law involved, it is not written in the most accessible way. I wonder if that is something the office would look at for the next report.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: Exactly. I found it difficult to digest.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Non-Disclosure Provisions Under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussion with Information Commissioner (5 Jun 2013)

Stephen Donnelly: There are a few areas on which I would like to get Ms O'Reilly's thoughts. I want to go back to the issue of culture. While we can put all of the correct mechanisms in place, any human system will find out how to game most of them. I was struck by the fact that the Department of Finance took three years to revert to the office. Has the office found that there are good and less good areas...