Results 2,161-2,180 of 2,988 for speaker:James O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Flood Risk Management (9 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: 106. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide details of the additional supports that his Department will provide for a local authority following the devastation of Storm Babet (details supplied); how quickly this funding will be made available to the same local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48226/23]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Flood Risk Management (9 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: 111. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the timelines for the additional supports his Department will provide for a local authority following the devastation of Storm Babet (details supplied); if his Department will provide funding towards further machinery to help speed up the repairs across the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48227/23]

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): RTÉ (13 Jul 2023)

James O'Connor: There is extraordinary generosity shown by the public in that process. A really fundamental part of the work that RTÉ has done is to support them. I have to ask - does RTÉ take an administrative fee for that work?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ (Resumed): RTÉ (13 Jul 2023)

James O'Connor: On a point of order, I ask the Comptroller and Auditor General whether there is any minimal requirement for how many people sit on RTÉ's audit and risk committee.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Correspondence (14 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: 139. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason a person (details supplied) must sign for credits with the Department. [49730/23]

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: Tomorrow will mark one month since the devastating floods that occurred in my constituency and others, including Waterford and Cork North-Central. In the Midleton area in particular, a significant number of businesses were hit. We appreciate the support that has been given by the Government and the rapid action that has been taken but difficulties are starting to be experienced by...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: I welcome everyone this morning. I want to follow on from Deputy Catherine Murphy's comments on the public spending code. How this instrument has been used to any effect when it comes to projects has long been of interest to me. My understanding of the public spending code, which is that of the majority of politicians, is that it exists as a safeguard to prevent projects from going into...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: I hate to be awkward but that is what interests me. I regard the public spending code – tell me if I am wrong – as entailing a six-, 12- or 18-month process in which Mr. Moloney's Department effectively analyses paperwork submitted to it, to put it politely. In other words, there is a very intensive process to determine whether the project is worth funding. I see it as an...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: So it is six to eight weeks on average?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: That would be helpful.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: Does Mr. Meaney mind referring to the four large-scale projects?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: I am interested there because the most costly one there by some degree is MetroLink. How long will that process for the analysis of a project take? I believe €22 billion was the last estimate I saw in the paper.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: How long would it take the Department to sit down and analyse a project of that scale?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: Retrospectively and for the future, we have this constant issue in Ireland when it comes to large scale capital projects which is true with health projects, and it will be very much the case in transport because of the decarbonisation of the economy, where we will have an increase in rail projects, which is to be expected. One is looking at light rail systems being put into places like Cork...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: With regard to the national development plan, which falls under the responsibility of this Department, we had €174 billion of a plan put in place and it was one of the first items that was looked at under the programme for Government but the inflation costs have had a very significant impact on that. With regard to the projects across the entirety of the document, where transport is...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: How is deep is the deficit now compared with what it was a few years ago? Has it been any analysis of how much inflation has hurt the ability to carry out the list of projects?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: I am not trying to catch Mr. Moloney out and if that is something he could come back to me on, I would appreciate it because I believe it is very important. Obviously, we had a parcel of €174 billion in planned expenditure under 2021 figures. I want to establish how much that figure would be now with regard to today’s new economic reality, in the way that inflation took place.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: I thank our witnesses.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: I appreciate the second round of questions. I want to touch on a matter Deputy Colm Burke raised. Deputy Dillon raised it with the witnesses as well. They will be aware that my constituency was absolutely annihilated by flooding and that the damage is extraordinary. The immediate estimate is, to our knowledge, €54 million for roads alone. Bringing the debate back to the OPW, very...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 5: Vote Accounting and Budget Management (16 Nov 2023)

James O'Connor: I would really appreciate that. To be clear on the Midleton question, there is a question on the minds of many members of the public and on mine as a newly elected public representative. This is my first term in the Dáil. We had the Covid pandemic for two years of this term and, understandably, many projects were impacted in terms of the ability of the Civil Service to process them....