Results 13,621-13,640 of 35,829 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Does Mr. Watt think it was appropriate for that Department not to tell him at that point in time of the-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Actually, this is the first time Mr. Watt has been before the committee to discuss this issue-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I am not on the other committee and do not know if it asked him this question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Did Mr. Watt give it an answer?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: It appears from the opening statement that this has nothing to do with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, even though-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I am just laying out the case. The sanctioning body was the Government and the appropriate Department was the Department of Health. We see from the minutes that have been released that the Department of Health was seeking to meet officials of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for a number of weeks to discuss the issue, but that meeting did not take place. It took place at a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: It brought it to the Department's attention three months later, after the budget had been passed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Mr. Watt thinks it is completely appropriate. Let me be plain. If the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is telling this committee that it is okay for a Department to be aware of an overrun of hundreds of millions of euro-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: No, an overrun of €191 million.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: It is an overrun that was crystallised and would materialise if the project continued and the Government approved it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital: Discussion with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: It did not inform the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which was preparing Estimates to be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Further Revised) (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Cuirim fáilte riomh an Aire Stáit. The burning issue when dealing with the Estimates is that the OPW is currently reviewing the most appropriate means of achieving its required capital rescheduling of €3 million in the flood risk management area. The big question for many of the community groups the Minister of State has worked with on the alleviation of flooding in their...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Further Revised) (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate the level of additional investment that has come at a time when the Minister of State has responsibility for the area. We both agree that every euro - possibly more - is needed to deal with communities at risk of flooding. Did I understand the Minister of State to say that the Department will not take any conscious decision to delay any project and that he expects the full...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Further Revised) (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate that. Has the OPW investigated more natural flood defences such as the slow-flow model? Is there a danger that an approach from the OPW that sees physical concrete defences as the best way of preventing flooding to communities and property is causing delays resulting in difficulty for homeowners and businesses in being able to avail of insurance? Has the OPW examined other...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Further Revised) (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Given the work the Department has done on flood defences, is the Minister of State satisfied that is now being matched by insurance companies offering property and business insurance? What engagement has the Minister of State or his Department had with the industry on the matter? We repeatedly hear frustration from business owners and homeowners who cannot get insurance despite flood relief...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Further Revised) (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: We have raised this before, as has the Chairman. I have previously mentioned examples in my community where a river flooded nearly a decade ago and caused substantial damage to businesses and homes in the vicinity. I know of one homeowner who was refused insurance because of the potential for that river to flood again. Looking at a map one would see that the home is quite close to the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Further Revised) (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Is there a memorandum of understanding between the Department and Insurance Ireland in that regard?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Further Revised) (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Is the Minister of State satisfied with that or is further work needed?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Further Revised) (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: In recent days, many people from communities I represent in Castlefinn and Ballybofey have contacted me, as well as some of our councillors in Inishowen, including Mr. Jack Murray, and Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn. They have shared pictures of the heavy rainfall over the past 48 hours. Those pictures are scary and I will share some of them with the Minister of State later. He knows...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Further Revised) (7 Mar 2019)

Pearse Doherty: That would be welcome. We have been in meetings with the Minister of State and council officials, but bringing the OPW and the council officials together is the best approach. A visit to Donegal by the Minister of State, with his officials, would be helpful to ensure any unforeseen problems are identified and overcome before they cause delays to the project. I also want to ask the Minister...