Results 541-560 of 2,888 for speaker:Colm Brophy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Georgia's Application to join the European Union: Discussion (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Brophy: I would be interested to hear how Mr. Janjalia sees external players reacting to progressive membership talks, and greater and deepening ties between Georgia and the European Union. Where does he assess the risks or volatility of reactions to that? Russia is the obvious example. I fervently hope come December that candidate status will be able to progress. As Mr. Janjalia will be aware...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Georgia's Application to join the European Union: Discussion (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Brophy: We agree sometimes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Georgia's Application to join the European Union: Discussion (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Brophy: We have concluded questions from members, unless anybody else wants to contribute at this point. I thank the witnesses very much for their time this morning. We very much appreciate it. Does the ambassador want to add anything?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Georgia's Application to join the European Union: Discussion (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Brophy: I was going to conclude by making some very nice remarks about the ambassador. I will let him talk first and then embarrass him with the nice remarks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Georgia's Application to join the European Union: Discussion (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Brophy: I thank the ambassador. The Minister should note that in his ambassador, he has a most excellent representative – a representative who does the job of putting the case of Georgia, as he has so eloquently just done, along with the Georgian Government. They are very much among friends here. Moldova knows that as well. Ireland's position and actions and what it wishes to see are very...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (5 Dec 2023)

Colm Brophy: 476. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the number of creches which are withdrawing from the core funding programme since September 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53435/23]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Commissioner and his colleagues for coming in. I will try to narrow the focus onto something, rather than ask a number of general questions. I will use one example if that is okay. In his opening remarks and in answer to questions, the Commissioner talked about the stopping of the Luas and the protest that stopped it. In answering questions in relation to that, he talked...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: Yes, but in this case it was not a right to assembly. It was a very aggressive situation. Sky News cameras were recording from early in the afternoon and we could see that it was a very aggressive situation. It was not a protest. It was a very aggressive situation and members of the public felt afraid at a very early stage. What I am trying to ascertain from the Commissioner – we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: If I may, I will ask the Commissioner one very quick question. I appreciate I am out of time. There have been a number of calls - they are completely wrong in my view - on the Commissioner to resign. Could he address how he feels about that?

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: 255. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update regarding the provision of a school bus service to a school in Crumlin (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51959/23]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: I wish everyone a good morning. On behalf of the committee, I would like to welcome Mr. Tony Murphy from the European Court of Auditors to the meeting. He is joined by his colleagues, Mr. Brian Murphy and Mr. Peter Borsos. They are all very welcome and I thank them for joining us this morning. Before we begin, I will read the note on privilege, which I have no doubt everyone will be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: The Deputy asked a number of questions, but I cannot let them go without making one of my pet comments. Perhaps so many lobbyists on behalf of the petrochemical industry will not be needed with COP being hosted in one of the largest oil-producing and oil-exporting countries.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: No one seems to get the irony of that. That is by the by, though.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: The focus of the committee is on the audit. That is closer to the motion being debated in the Dáil Chamber than it is our work in this committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: I shall hand over to Mr. Murphy. I do not know how he will deal with that one.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: Sorry Deputy, but we should stick to the format agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: That concludes this round. Before Deputy Howlin comes back in, I want to pose some questions. I do not know if this can be seen as me causing trouble but I want to go back to the point made by Deputy Howlin in respect of the level of debt being incurred, the borrowing that is being done and the ratio involved. There has been exponential growth in that. At what point does the auditing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: What I was getting at with the two questions is at what point the ECA switches from highlighting to calling a halt?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: The ECA does not have the audit function of a private company. I know there was an allusion made to that. It is the job of an auditor of a private company, when management comes out with a line like that, to say “Well, do you know what guys?” There are certain recent examples in this State where perhaps the auditors should have stepped in at an earlier stage and said that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2022: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Brophy: That brings me to the second part of the point I was going to make specifically on Ukraine. Like others, I am pragmatic on these things. Funding mechanisms are put in place to get around problems that exist on the ground, particularly when a union of 27 sovereign states is trying to figure out how to do something. With regard to the role of the Court of Auditors, looking at one aspect, it...