Results 5,501-5,520 of 26,534 for speaker:John McGuinness

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I am aware of that happening. I do not know whether it happened with regard to other committees, but I know it happened with this one. To be quite frank-----

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I have been identified and I do not see why anybody else cannot be identified. Deputy Ross spoke of my family, so I do not see why I should not speak about somebody else.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I am going to help the Deputy out here. One of the issues here is that freedom of information has cost Departments a considerable amount of money. However, long may the facility to make FOI requests last. I have no problem at all in that regard and I have said that. Under the chairmanship at the time of Deputy Michael Noonan, a group travelled from this committee to Sacramento. I was...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I have all day.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I am happy to stay here as long as you like.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I do not accept that there was pressure in it. There was not. It was like anyone going into a job. In my case I could say I was trying to get my feet under the table and get on with it, but there was no table. There was no office.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I was trying desperately to get along with it. I asked that my wife could travel but I made it clear that I would pay. I stated this in my e-mail of 29 August as well. There was no pressure.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I accept that. Deputy McDonald will have to take my view on this, that is, factually it was put casually. Bear with me for a minute. I was in the Department and attached to it and so on but there was no office for me and therefore I was not there. Then the officials went into what is almost an overdrive of correspondence. I find it hard to believe that a simple question triggers that,...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I cannot answer differently. Let us bring it to the end of the correspondence because it may help in understanding what went on. They went into this overdrive of correspondence. Apparently, that is what civil servants do. They check things out and go from HEOs to APs up along the line. That is fine. I only discovered that at the end of August and therefore I cannot say how they felt...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I am simply saying he was particular about his work.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I can clearly say that was the case.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I will make the point to Deputy McDonald again. I said it earlier several times - Deputy McDonald has acknowledged as much - that perhaps in the context of the reply at that time one might have done differently. I did not expect the flurry of e-mails. My life beforehand was about one-to-one and "Yes" or "No".

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I was away in August and perhaps on a trade mission in September. The particular e-mail that the official wrote was out of a reconciliation. We were sitting down at that stage, talking to each other and there was a better understanding of these trade missions and my role in the context of the trade section. I do not have the document in front of me but I believe he acknowledged in the...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: Is the Deputy referring to the last e-mail?

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I think we met in my office - his office was beside mine - and it was time to bring to a conclusion this correspondence and these e-mails. It was after the e-mail of 29 August. I was obliged to work with the officials and, as stated, we did not get off to a happy start. This concluded that round of discussions and it was no more or no less than that. If I asked about the trade mission to...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I do not believe that was the case. I am not that type of individual.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I will press my case robustly, but once a conclusion is reached, that is that.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: No. Again, it was a simple request. There was a flurry of e-mails, a response from me at the end of August and then a discussion with the official concerned. That is all it was.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: I wish to make something clear. The Deputy used a particular word and I am conscious of what words mean. There was no intimidation. There was nothing like that intended. I accept that there was a difficult start to my time in the Department and it was probably not the happiest of starts. However, even without the happiest of starts, one can still get things to work.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

John McGuinness: The Deputy asked about discussions with Deputy Martin when he was Minister. I did not have discussions with him. He obviously made his case clear.