Results 12,941-12,960 of 20,156 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I will allow the Deputy in for a second round of questions but I must move on. I have a number of questions for Mr. Spratt. If he can keep his answers short, that would be helpful. A couple of hundred thousand people are waiting for both the theory and the full driver test. Why was the theory test suspended? The theory test can be run in a cubicle with a screen, similar to what is in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I appreciate, from what Mr. Spratt is saying, that the Department made a case to keep the tests going, but it was one of the decisions that baffled me and many members of the public because it does not take into consideration the practicalities of how this works. I also welcome the fact Mr. Spratt’s Department pushed this matter. I also ask about the instructors, and Mr. Spratt...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: How many of those are expected to be cleared? Does Mr. O'Leary have a number per month he thinks can be cleared?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: Will Mr O’Leary revert to us with a figure on that, please?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I make the point to the Department that many people require these tests for employment purposes. I also raise the issue of motorbike tests being stopped. Again, a constituent who needs a motorcycle to get to work contacted me about this last week. I failed to provide an answer to that person as to how you would catch Covid-19 on a motorbike. I have observed the test because my office is...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: No, what I am asking you, Mr. Clonan, is this. Of the €483 million that had accumulated to date, €35 million is capital costs and further commitments bring the total to €638 million. I thought the €34.5 million in capital costs might be for a helicopter or two helicopters. What is it for?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: For what? What special equipment?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I find this unusual. We provided €34.5 million in capital costs, which Mr. Clonan said went towards the cost of helicopters, yet the State does not appear to own the door handles on any helicopter.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I understand all of that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: As part of a contract with costs of €638 million to date, including a capital element of €34.5 million which the State provided, the State does not own one helicopter or even the door handle on a helicopter. Mr. Clonan is confirming that to the Committee of Public Accounts today.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: The Department has also clarified that consultants were hired to advise on aviation. This is not to cast aspersions on any organisation that has been hired but will Mr. Spratt indicate whether the balance sheet of a consultancy firm would be checked before it would be hired? A "Yes" or "No" answer will suffice.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: It is a very clear question. If the Department is contracting a consultancy firm to provide advice on a company with which it is entering a contract - not just for the search and rescue service - is the balance sheet of the contracting company normally checked, in terms of its financial standing? It is a "Yes" or "No".

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I presume the financial standing would be checked as part of that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: If a company is contracted for any purpose, not just for SAR, it would come with a portfolio and curriculum vitae, so to speak, of work it has carried out and the experience it has in various sectors. Would the Department examine that? Would it be the case that a company with a thin track record or level of experience in the work being undertaken would not be hired? Would that be checked...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: Does the Department look and number of staff and expertise of each staff member employed by a company it engages to provide consultancy services and advice?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I will now allow members in for a second round of questions. They may ask only one question each. We went over time in the previous round because of the long answer given to the question the Deputy asked.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: Very briefly, Mr. Mullaney, because three Deputies want to get back in.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I have a couple of things to mention to Mr. Spratt before we close up. I do not want Mr. Spratt to give me an answer now, in terms of the roads in County Offaly. There is a special case for north County Offaly, because the roads are over peat. Mr. O'Leary is nodding in agreement. There is a serious issue there, in terms of road safety. Can someone please have a look at the R400? The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (27 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: 90. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons in direct provision centres who are sharing bedrooms with non-family members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28443/21]

Health and Criminal Justice (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Second Stage (26 May 2021)

Brian Stanley: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. When these measures were last before the House in October 2020, Sinn Féin tabled an amendment to limit the scope of the emergency legislation. We sought for the Government to bring forward less discretionary legislation which did not avoid Dáil scrutiny. The existing legislation is giving far too much discretion and emergency...