Results 5,861-5,880 of 10,581 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Information and Communications Technology (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will address the last aspect first. Six Governments have been in office since the concept of the public services card came to fruition and almost 3 million cards have been issued to date. As a Government, we are conscious that we want to ensure there will be a single point of entry for those accessing services. We collect the information once, maximise the opportunities to avail of it...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Information and Communications Technology (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am not aware of any such attack. In the context of the data sharing and governance Bill, about which we will consult the Opposition after Christmas when we have dealt with other legislation on which we are consulting it, we will be conscious of the need to take concerns into account. While the Data Protection Commissioner is not going to give a clean bill of health, the commissioner has...

Other Questions: Public Procurement Regulations (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy for his question. As he and the rest of the House know, public procurement is governed by well-established European Union, EU, and national rules and guidelines. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers best value for money. As Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and...

Other Questions: Public Procurement Regulations (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: Deputy Calleary has acknowledged before that the vast majority of Government expenditure on procurement is spent in the State. It is in excess of 90%. Of that, over 50% is spent with small and medium enterprises, SMEs. I chair the SME section within the procurement element of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. We meet regularly and tease out matters that representative...

Other Questions: Office of Public Works Projects (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 33 together. The Office of Public Works and the Chief State Solicitor's Office continue to progress the acquisition of the preferred site for this project as a high priority and expect the process to reach a conclusion shortly. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, is happy to confirm that the contracts for sale have been executed by both parties...

Other Questions: Office of Public Works Projects (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: When the Office of Public Works placed advertisements in both local and national media seeking submissions from property owners, 17 responses were received. As with all major public contracts, the construction of the new Garda station will be tendered openly and all builders and contractors, including locally based firms, will have the opportunity to tender for the works. I appreciate the...

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: It relates to those who are covered and not covered by the agreement as arrived at by the Government and the trade unions. As I said on the previous occasion in the House, we envisage a situation where we hope everybody will be covered by the agreement and that everybody will be able to avail of the full restoration in accordance to the schedules I outlined.

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I meant to say at the outset that, with the permission of the House, I want to clarify something. I wish to correct the record of the House on a technical matter. In Tuesday's speech I referred to the Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill as a money Bill. The Bills Office has since confirmed this is not technically correct. While a money message in respect of the imposition of a charge on...

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Minister already made an amendment in the other House which reinforces the work that the oversight group within the public service stability agreement, PSSA, will do. He will lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas. This issue was obviously of concern to Members in the other House too. As I said the last day, none of us has a monopoly on this and I welcome Senator Ruane's...

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: Senator Horkan raises an issue raised in the other House and in that debate, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, pointed out, and I am sure the Senator has followed the debate, that we are not trying to single out one group of people here. We want to have everybody covered by the agreement and the benefits laid out in the legislation. We do not want to single out one group. While I do not doubt...

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank Senator Horkan for raising the issue. The same issue was raised in the Dáil by his colleague, Deputy Calleary, and at the time, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, agreed to supply information to Deputy Calleary, by means of a paper to him personally or to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach, whichever is more appropriate to discuss and debate...

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank Senator Horkan for his co-operation. I acknowledge the comments of Senator Norris. As a young fellow, I watched the Senator from afar and little did I think I would wind up in the same room as him. We had a very good discussion on Second Stage on the issue that he is suggesting. As I said in another forum, politics is a very honourable profession. From time to time people who are...

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: We do have a race to the bottom. As Senator Norris quite rightly said, if we turned up for work here and were not paid at all, we would still be paid too much for some people. We have to have a very honest discussion in Ireland if we are to attract younger people into politics, which young people in many cases are leaving professions and are coming into a precarious situation where, as...

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: We have former Ministers, Deputies and Senators who would do great work for Ireland overseas. I welcome the comments because I would have been a kind of a citizen of Siberia in the other House for having the audacity to suggest it. We need to start talking honestly about politics, politicians, the cost of it, the number of us and the size of our constituencies, what is expected of us, what...

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: In the free restaurant.

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: Nobody is suggesting in this agreement or in the legislation that this is to take on or break up unions. This goes back to 1987 and beyond, during which there has a long tradition of governments of all political colours negotiating with representatives of public servants in a calm fashion within the confines of what is and is not available and putting a trajectory in place to resolve...

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: No, it is not a new contribution.

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have just clarified that with the officials, Senator. That figure refers to the pensionable amount.

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank Senator Ruane for her contribution. I have addressed points relating to covered and non-covered public servants, the confines of the agreement and the historical background. I do not propose to repeat myself. I note the Senator's comments but I do not agree with them. I will leave it at that.

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Senator, but will not be accepting the amendment for a number of reasons. First, it presupposes that there will be people who are outside the agreement but, as I have already said, we hope everyone will be covered by it. Further, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform engages with the Workplace Relations Commission and all of the bodies established under statute, not to...