Results 5,941-5,960 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Public Service Contracts: Public Service Contracts (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: My Department has regard to appropriate Department of Finance guidelines on procurement, including the general requirement that a competitive tendering process is in place for all contracts above €50,000. Procurement guidelines and practices in the Department are regularly reviewed and a set of consolidated guidelines has been circulated to all staff. Additional internal procedures are in...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Like Senator Norris, I am somewhat mystified as to why anybody, having waited for 80 years, would wait until the 59th minute of the 11th hour to lobby for further additional changes. It seems a remarkable way to do business, particularly if this is a critical issue for people. I appreciate Senator Bannon has put considerable work into these amendments but I make the point that the term...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The Senator might let me finish. The Bill was universally agreed by all the various bodies.

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: It was. That process continued up to the Christmas period and then for some reason, which I do not understand, this arrangement came out of the woodwork. The issue of concern is whether we can ensure independence in this process. While the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and the Society of Chartered Surveyors are proposed as registration bodies under the Bill, I remind the...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I stand corrected——

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: ——on the use of the word. They certainly were not oleaginous. I make the point that if lobby groups want to be listened to and to have their views taken on board, the least they can do to assist this and the other House, as Senator Norris said, is to be timely with the suggestions they put forward. As the Senator also said, their waiting until the eve of his coming to this House to...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The Senator knows the Bill would not be enacted in the life of this Dáil——

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: They are minor.

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I will pass the Senator's comments to Professor Harrison. One of the last comments referred to a planning decision made recently by An Bord Pleanála which involved a good friend of mine — I must declare an interest. I do not wish to appear in any way to be inflexible in this regard but we should stop the messing. The reality is that if we do a substantial rewrite of the Bill, we know it...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I am sure the Senator does and I am sure the grandchild loves having her as a grandmother. However, the point is this is a textual amendment which will address a point made by Senators. All parties were consulted on this issue. All agreed that the RIAI should be the registration body, provided provisions were included in the Bill to differentiate between and protect the interests involved....

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Yes.

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I am grateful to Senator O'Toole for illustrating that the process is robust, is not dominated individually and is multi-tiered. That is important because it has a bearing on the fears and concerns that have been expressed in some of the material I have seen. Senator O'Toole is correct that there is a preponderance of lay persons. In the first instance, there are the architects, the persons...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Those are two fair questions. On the first question, there is no reason for professional people with expertise to fear. There are many distinguished people who operated as architects in this State over the years who did not necessarily have that formal arrangement. They are not in any way imperilled by this. That was the point Senator O'Toole raised earlier and I apologise for not...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Of course. I do not wish to appear impatient but I cannot understand why these arguments were made, particularly given that it is in the profession's interest, including those who have entered it through experience, to proceed with this legislation. Consultations have been carried out, my door has been open and I have answered most of the e-mails I personally received. I have met people...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Several Senators, and Senators Leyden and O'Rourke in particular, expressed concern on Second Stage about the use of the term "grandfather clause" and its relevance to modern parliamentary language. I have considered those views and, having looked at the record of the debate, I accept their well-made argument that the use of the term was patronising, carried connotations of ageism and did...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: "Practical experience assessment procedure". The technical assessment board will be established under section 19 to assess eligibility for recognition of persons with ten or more years experience in this State of performing duties commensurate with those of architects. Section 20 sets out the procedures for assessment and includes the requirement that an applicant submits to the board a...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I am utterly mystified by Senator Bannon's contribution. The amendment I have tabled provides precisely for what he has asked. I am also mystified by his suggestion that the legislation does not deal with the objectivity of the assessment process. Section 20 states that "a person who makes an application under this section shall submit the following...". It goes on to outline the...

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The House has already discussed this issue. The Senator has withdrawn amendment No. 2 which made that point.

Seanad: Building Control Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The Official Report will show that he did.