Results 3,541-3,560 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: There are training allocations in our Vote, which have increased, and therefore I can respond to the Deputy.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. Heritage Week is organised by the Heritage Council and that is the body to take that issue up with. We make a number of our buildings available.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: On the issue of maps, I would like to address the insurance coverage issue head on. None of us believes that insurance companies are not mapping risk. If the fact that Ireland and other European countries are complying with an EU floods directive in the interest of their citizens to map flooding on a methodical basis, make it public and set out in a systemic way a list of projects that need...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: I fully agree with the Deputy, except with the assertion that no progress has been made. I cannot speak for my predecessor. He put in place this arrangement, which has been very good, to establish the sharing of information. We are now at crunch time. We have the first progress report. We need to see whether all that engagement and time-consuming effort by the Department’s...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: I would be more than happy to make available the information and would really appreciate the input of the committee. Deputy Barry’s last questions were about training and office space. He is right that we can regard training as wasteful but we need to be very careful because as part of Civil Service renewal and making sure our public services are fit for purpose we are, for...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: I will check the records for last year and contact Deputy Doherty directly about the Hill of Tara. I thank her for making me aware of that. The total staff numbers in Áras an Uachtaráin are coming down. On 1 January 2014 there were 24 people working there and on 1 January 2015 there were 20 people. The budget was provided at the end of 2014 in anticipation of 2015 but we do...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: I agree with Deputy Creed about Kanturk that the issue needs to be brought to a finality. My officials are in discussions and will be meeting Cork County Council officials. I do not think it is prudent for me to say more than that, but the meeting will be taking place. Regarding the delivery of a Garda station and a fire station in Macroom, which we have discussed, there are examples of...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: I will have to check that with the Deputy. He is asking if the OPW would contact the council rather than the council contacting the OPW.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: We do a fair number of Garda stations in house in terms of in-house design, but I still take the point. If two buildings are being designed by public authorities side by side, it is important to have a conversation. I will arrange for my officials to contact Cork County Council on foot of this conversation.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: That is a very good question. There are a number of reforms. I have to say this sincerely. In this role over the past seven or eight months I have had the opportunity to travel to an awful lot of OPW sites, many of which I had never been at before. The dedication and commitment of the staff, who, like so many right across the public service, have had to deal with fewer colleagues in the...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: This goes back to the whole-of-Government approach to property asset management and the fact outlined in my opening statement that we are putting together the property asset management delivery plan which the OPW has been charged with leading. There has been a scenario in the past where the left hand did not necessarily know what the right hand was doing. For the first time, we are trying...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: The last part of Deputy Fleming's question is if that refers to commercial rental of the likes of any of the public buildings-----
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: Yes, it is commercial. In respect of the figure he raised, I do not wish to mislead the Deputy and have not misled him in the sense that the maintenance budget has transferred. The issue does not arise now because the budget is here since 2013. However, there is an issue regarding the recovery of funds from the Social Insurance Fund and an agency fee. Regarding recoveries for services...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: Yes. Where we rent a property for the Department of Social Welfare, the OPW pays half of it back.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015) Simon Harris: Yes. Well spotted.
- Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (12 Feb 2015)
Simon Harris: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to have this opportunity to bring the Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012, which was initiated in the Seanad, to this House. The primary purpose of the Bill is to introduce measures that will enable the Commissioner of Valuation to accelerate the national programme of revaluation of all commercial and industrial...
- Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (12 Feb 2015)
Simon Harris: I just asked for the script to be circulated when Deputy Fleming was out of the Chamber. I apologise to the House. Does he wish me to pause until the script is available?
- Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (12 Feb 2015)
Simon Harris: My apologies. We have a copy available now. This legislation is concerned with the valuation of property for rates purposes but not with the setting or collection of rates. The basis of assessment for valuation purposes is the net annual value of a property. The net annual value of a property is equivalent to the annual rent, exclusive of all payments in respect of rates, taxes,...
- Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (12 Feb 2015)
Simon Harris: True.
- Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (12 Feb 2015)
Simon Harris: They already pay water charges.