Results 401-420 of 2,017 for speaker:Anthony Lawlor

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drugs Payment Scheme (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: To ask the Minister for Health if proposals are in place to extend the drugs payment scheme to include medications that are currently not covered by the scheme; if the nebusal 7 daily nebulizer could be included under the drugs payment scheme;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55324/12]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: Ms McGrath referred in her documentation to the office providing specialist procurement and technical input to the Government and various Departments on particular projects where the office is not funding the works, for example, assisting the Department of Education and Skills in the expansion and addition of 15 schools.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: Like my colleagues, I expected representatives of the procurement section of the Office of Public Works to appear before the joint committee today.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: We must deal with the position as it presents. I am fascinated by Ms McGrath's statement that 96% of contacts are awarded in Ireland. I have a list of 100 tenders which featured on the eTenders website in the period from 4 September 2012 until this morning. Is it not strange that not one Irish company tendered to operate the eTenders website, which is run by a Swedish company? I find it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: No, I took it off the eTenders website.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: Yes, it relates to a school. The point I am making is that there is total exclusion of small companies purely because of the contracts put out there. It is coming from the NPS.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: Can I interrupt Ms McGrath? Her opening statement stated that one of the NPS's goals is to encourage participation by SMEs in public procurement and that to this end, the eTenders website is a source for publishing and accessing tender notices on Government and public sector procurement. In her speech, Ms McGrath stated that as efforts continue to strive towards a more efficient delivery of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: I simply pulled that example off the eTenders website. I have another example.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: Ms McGrath is chairperson of the OPW and the NPS is under her remit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: The NPS is the national body that is supposed to be supervising eTenders and also helping small and medium-sized firms to get these contracts. I have other contracts with me. I have one of 50 pages for about ten printers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: I have a contract from the OPW with me. It is the single supply framework contract for the supply of printing devices for the EU Presidency. It comes from Ciaran Murtagh at the OPW through the National Procurement Service. The contract is 50 pages long. It is for ten printers. One would need a degree in legal science to go through this OPW contract.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: I am not blaming the individual. He is the contact point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: I mentioned earlier the exclusion of small businesses. This is one for ten printers, for an extension to a school. Both have similar employers liability of approximately €13 million and public liability. Whoever draws up the contracts appears to apply a similar standard of figures to exclude smaller companies. I would like to have an opportunity to speak to the National Procurement...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Eligibility of Small Firms in Tendering for Capital Projects: Discussion with Office of Public Works (11 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: It covers a wide range of areas - motor vehicles, advertising, energy, ICTES, print, stationery, paper, janitorial supplies.

Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: This is one of the most difficult budgets ever announced in this House. My party is associated with Richie Ryan and the budget that he brought forward in the mid-1970s. The Cabinet of the time also took difficult decisions which were supported by Fine Gael and Labour Party backbenchers. I commend the Minister for Social Protection on the hard decisions that she took regarding social...

Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: May I continue? I will lose time as a result of this interruption.

Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: Deputy Stanley also spoke about a united Ireland, which many of us would welcome. However, would the rate of carer's allowance be the €72 paid across the Border or the more than €200 paid down here? It is unfortunate that when we have promised not to cut core payments, cuts must be made in other areas to make savings. One of the cuts I find difficult to accept is the cut to the...

Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill 2012: Second Stage (14 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: I must ensure in the future that I do not follow Deputy Joe O'Reilly.

Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill 2012: Second Stage (14 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: When I was young, I often accompanied my father who was a rates collector when he went to collect rates in Kilcock. Everybody paid them, regardless of whether they were living in a local authority house, on a farm or in a large property in a rural area. They were collected on behalf of the local authority and spent by it. People want to be assured that whatever they pay to the Revenue...

Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (17 Dec 2012)

Anthony Lawlor: I welcome the Bill, which is a commitment by the Government to make radical changes to all sectors of society. Something like this makes savings and makes drugs more available to individuals. I commend the Minister on his successful negotiations with the pharmaceutical industry, the medical profession and the pharmacists. Currently, we are spending €1,900 million per annum on drugs...