Results 3,001-3,020 of 7,126 for speaker:Alan Farrell
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: In the interest of members of the committee and Oireachtas Members in general, it would be beneficial to us. Perhaps the Minister could correspond with the committee secretariat so we could provide it to all members.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: It would be worth doing. While the Minister was responding to other members, I was looking at the cost of the report. I was absent last week so I did not have an opportunity to review it. I was unable to find the answer in the parliamentary questions of last week or the week before. Does anybody with the Minister have the figure and, if so, will she please provide it?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: The only point I can make as Chairman is that committee members have an oversight role as to the operation of Oberstown and the Department and there should be a mechanism, if there is not already, for such matters to be dealt with in a confidential manner. Members of the committee and Oireachtas Members in general who have queried this matter would feel a lot more confident. Deputy Sherlock...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: I accept the Minister's point to the effect that it is open to members to ask the board of Oberstown to make themselves available to us. Without seeking to second-guess my colleagues, that is probably something we will seek in the new year.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: Deputy Sherlock referred to the fact that he does not want to leave this room with his questions unanswered. I suspect, given the look on his face, that may prove to be the case. Rather than the Minister having to field constant questions, freedom of information requests, segments on RTÉ radio and everything else that has taken place in recent months, if members were provided with a...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: Perhaps a mechanism should be put in place in future in the unlikely event that this issue should arise. I suspect that members may request an audience with the board of Oberstown.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: I was informed that the Minister had to vacate the premises by 7 p.m. so I was operating on the assumption that proceedings would run until that time Is the Minister stating that she must leave at 6.30 p.m.?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: Correct.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: There is no closing time. I was just informed that the Minister needed to be off the premises by 7 p.m. I ask members to be brief.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: I do not want to take up Deputy Mitchell's time, but my observance of this is that we, as Members of the Oireachtas, have spent an inordinate amount of time addressing this issue, as have the media queries, but the process is disjointed. The report was provided to the board of Oberstown and at that point legal advice was sought, which led to further legal advice from the Attorney General,...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: -----is somewhat disjointed and, therefore, Deputies and Senators have spend time analysing this.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: They have come to the same conclusion, which is that if the board of Oberstown had been more forthcoming in its dealings with the committee an awful lot of supposition may have been avoided, as could stories generated through the provision of freedom of information requests which, in themselves, can often be disjointed. This is not casting any aspersions on anybody reading freedom of...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: Does the Minister have the legal authority to publish a report commissioned by the board of Oberstown?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: I am sorry. I have no desire to shut Deputy Rabbitte down but I am not aware that matter has concluded legally. If the Deputy does not object, I do not think it appropriate to comment.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: I appreciate that. It is not really my call; it is a matter for the House. I call Deputy Neville.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: Members have made it clear in the course of the past hour that this will be the case.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: That is a very good question.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: What is the Minister's view of the question Deputy Sherlock asked?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: In fairness, I think the conflict is between the reviewers and the board. The Minister is acting on advice. What is the Minister's view on it, as Deputy Sherlock asked?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Oberstown Children Detention Campus: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (18 Dec 2018)
Alan Farrell: Yes, Deputy Chambers made that point. The document was provided only once to the board but it occurs to me that if a review of a report is provided to its paymaster, namely, those who requested it, there would be a to and fro. That would of course depend on the report but in this case, because it was dealing with individuals, there would have been a to and fro. We now have a conflict. The...