Results 3,941-3,960 of 4,002 for speaker:Rose Conway Walsh

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: One then finds situations such as the one we saw with Carillion where we take it as gospel that companies like that are financially secure whereas when one digs beneath, one finds that they are far from being financially secure so Government is making decisions that are not based on what they need to be based on. We need to be very careful about the Government using consultants as a cover...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Exactly. It all comes down to accountability. If we keep outsourcing everything, where is the accountability?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: It is an issue with which we and Mr. Watt must deal. We are keeping an eye on that figure. A figure of €82.5 million in eight years is not acceptable. We need to see that being reduced as well as looking at conflicts of interest and other issues. Another major problem I have with contracting out is the lack of transparency. I refer to the JobPath contract. It has been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: I would appreciate that because I started the quest for this in 2016 when I came into the Seanad. The Taoiseach was then Minister for Social Protection. I started asking for details of those contracts that were given to private providers. Three years later, I have not received those details so I would appreciate finding out the rationale for that because €202 million of citizens'...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: This will be a brief question, as Senator Jerry Buttimer is on his feet in the Seanad, and I have to attend the House to debate the Finance Bill. My question is about badly performing contractors. Earlier this year, the construction firm, Western Building Systems, was awarded a contract to deliver the 60-bed modular extension at University Hospital Limerick but the same construction firm...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Has a contractor been disqualified using that matrix?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Surely there is a due diligence obligation to ensure a contractor that has a very poor record could be recorded. I am amazed that there is no communication across Departments on this. How can we ensure we get value for money and that we do not end up in scenarios that we have seen previously, which have cost small or indigenous businesses, along with other parties? That worries me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Surely the system is wrong. The basic issue is we are asking a party to self-declare issues. It is too late when damage is done.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Why is that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Why? Is there not an obligation to ensure that database should exist?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: When will that review be completed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: I know it is not but just because something is complex-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Matters relating to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Discussion (3 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: I understand the complexities but there is no point in blaming the European directive. This feeds into the issues with low tenders as well. If a party consistently tenders a low price and we do not capture the data, we will fail the public.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: I thank Mr. Makhlouf for his opening statement and I wish him well in his new position. I want to hone in on interest rates. We have a situation where mortgage interest rates for new customers are between 2.25% and 3% but for existing customers they are in the region of 4.5%. We see all of the time that our mortgage interest rates, particularly for existing customers, are higher than...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: To clarify, because it forms the basis of everything we are discussing, is Mr. Makhlouf saying it is wrong to say mortgage interest rates in the Irish market are twice the average level within the eurozone?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Is it riskier now, in the current climate, than in, say, Germany or Italy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Does Mr. Sibley think that is reflected in interest rates? I am trying to make sense of this in terms of being able to make proper comparisons. Given the work the Central Bank has done with the banks since the crash on stability, and the growing profitability of these banks, should that not be reflected in the interest rates they charge their customers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Does Mr. Sibley think they are justified?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: To get back to my question, Mr. Sibley says the Central Bank is dealing with some of the underlying issues causing Irish mortgage holders to pay higher rates than mortgage holders elsewhere. At the same time, banks are making massive and ever-increasing profits. It is very difficult for mortgage holders to understand why they are not feeling the benefits some of the banks which they bailed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Rose Conway Walsh: Switching is very important. I am glad to see that the Central Bank is taking its role seriously in this regard. How is the effectiveness of the measures introduced to encourage switching measured?