Results 4,721-4,740 of 4,810 for speaker:Liam Twomey

Finance Bill 2015: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: Deputy John O'Mahony is sharing time with Deputies Eoghan Murphy and John Paul Phelan.

Topical Issue Matters (5 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 27A and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Joan Collins - the need to prevent the closure of the Cuan Alainn women's refuge, Dublin 24; (2) Deputy Thomas P. Broughan - the need to address concerns about wall height at the proposed flood defence project between the...

Hospital Emergency Departments: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: I wish to share time with Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick, three minutes and five minutes. The health service is made up of different groups of vested interests. Many of the aspirations of these groups conflict with one another, which leads to major challenges for those who are trying to manage our health services. On top of that, the recent health Ireland survey, published by the Minister,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: I remind members to ensure their mobile phones are switched off. This is important as it causes serious problems for broadcasting, editorial and sound staff. No. 6 is pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft general scheme of a public sector standards Bill. This is our second meeting on this. I welcome Dr. Elaine Byrne, a governance consultant with the European Commission in Ireland, and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: I wish to acknowledge Mr. Paddy Walsh and Mr. Brian McKevitt, who are present today as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: How are Members of Parliament elected in New Zealand?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: Dr. Byrne said earlier that we in Ireland are a little blasé about ethics. To some degree, people vote for their local representatives and while they will rail against what they perceive as unethical behaviour, given they were the ones on the inside track in terms the clientelism in which we are accused of participating day in and day out, any politician who decides to take the high...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: I am asking if this is an issue. Is this to some degree contributing to the the casual-type attitude here towards ethics? As pointed out by Mr. Jim O'Keeffe the vast majority of people who enter public life do so purely on altruistic grounds. They do it because they want to serve the people they represent. To some degree the vast majority of people in this Parliament have no power...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: Who does the SIPO Act cover?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: How far down the line does it go in terms of a local authority or government organisation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: Do all such employees have to submit declarations?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: Would I, as an elected Member of parliament end up in category A?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: Should the Standards in Public Office Commission not have a role in saying which categories of individuals should be covered? If people can be exposed to unethical behaviour anywhere within the public sector, not just in terms of elected representatives, should the commission not decide on categories or have a say in whether people are category A or B?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: Has the commission had an input in that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: I will just make a comment regarding whether we have a commission or a commissioner. One of the issues regarding a role such as this is that decisions very much impinge on a person's character. As a doctor, I find I have greater confidence in a medical council type set-up, which is a group of individuals passing judgment rather than an individual. In my experience of the Medical Council,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: If the commission can submit information on its role to the secretariat of the committee, we can put it up on our website. Perhaps it could explain who is covered by the legislation, who can make representations to the commission and what issues it deals with.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of a Public Sector Standards Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: On behalf of the joint committee, I thank Dr. Byrne, Mr. Dan O'Keeffe, Mr. Jim O'Keeffe and Mr. Tyndall for their participation in today's meeting. It is our intention to produce a report on the hearings relating to the draft heads of the Bill and we may then carry out further study on best international practice. Unless there is any other business, we will adjourn.

Finance Bill 2015: Report Stage (24 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: I support the Minister on this amendment. Deputy Boyd Barrett has put on the record many of his objections to what is happening and has quoted the position in Scotland. I am keen to put on the record that there are many people in Sweden who maintain rent controls there have not worked. They say it stops the development of new apartments and houses for people. The controls there have...

Finance Bill 2015: Report Stage (24 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: Those in Sinn Féin claim to be socialists as well.

Finance Bill 2015: Report Stage (24 Nov 2015)

Liam Twomey: There are republican socialists of some sort.