Results 61,101-61,120 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: What about the people who would have attended for other positions? This is where I started at the beginning about standardisation of procedures. What about people who would have gone forward for other competitions, for example, for the position of Secretary General in other Departments? Would they take the view that they have been in some way hard done by if it was decided arbitrarily that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I presume everyone was offered the same salary in the advertisement. The presumption was this applied only to one Department. It did not apply to the Department of Finance or the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It applied only to the Department of Health. That now sets the Department of Health on a different footing to all other Departments. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Will that be the same again?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I have to go into the House in a few minutes. Mr. Fraser mentioned earlier that FEMPI provisions should not apply to the lowest income earners throughout the services and that restoration should apply. Did that not happen?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: That was all completed. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: It is done largely or otherwise. I want to know about this because we dealt with this not long ago. We asked questions of the Minister on this as well. The presumption or understanding was that the lower earners would be dealt with first. We all recognise that as fair. Has that been completed? Have all lower earners had FEMPI restoration?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: What level of the higher earners have been restored through FEMPI changes?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: They are nearly all done. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Would Mr. Fraser make any recommendations regarding the possible standardisation of the procedure in appointing Secretaries General to Departments, with particular reference to pay and salary clearly indicated at the outset, so that each applicant might be assured that he or she is competing on an equal footing with all other applicants?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Is it unlikely that a situation would arise whereby one or other Department will be singled out and a candidate will be told that he or she is a better or more competent person and will be appointed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Remuneration of Senior Civil Servants: Discussion (2 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Did that not happen in this case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Impact of Covid-19 on Human Rights and Mental Health: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their participation. This is an issue on which we have all received a considerable amount of correspondence recently. The questions that arise for me are about balance and whether the sunset clause is adequate protection in terms of civil liberties or needs to be reviewed or revoked. It is about weighing up the balance between civil liberties and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Impact of Covid-19 on Human Rights and Mental Health: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Impact of Covid-19 on Human Rights and Mental Health: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: The Oireachtas is not fully functioning at present, as we all know. It is sitting to a limited extent in two different venues and committees are also meeting in separate venues. It is not, therefore, fully functioning. Mr. Herrick is thinking - perhaps I am wrong on this - that in a minority Government situation, such as that which prevailed in respect of the previous Government, it was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Impact of Covid-19 on Human Rights and Mental Health: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: With respect, I was a member of that committee. It could honestly be said that the committee made every argument for and against; every possible option was covered. We went down the road of increasing restrictions, relaxing the regulations, opening up air travel and so forth. There were equally held views, for and against, on both sides.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Impact of Covid-19 on Human Rights and Mental Health: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: There is a sunset clause, however, which lays down specifically the expiry date of the regulations. It then follows that the Minister and the Government must make a decision. That decision must be based on balance and whether the regulations in place are required to be extended for a specific period. There may be only one extension and then a full debate on the situation would be needed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Impact of Covid-19 on Human Rights and Mental Health: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: That is in the event that it may be necessary, in the opinion of the Department of Health, the Minister and the Government, to extend the power to protect public health. On the other hand, it may not be necessary. The question that arises insofar as I am concerned is whether we are satisfied that we will have suppressed the virus by the end of October or the beginning of November. I am not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Impact of Covid-19 on Human Rights and Mental Health: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: However-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Impact of Covid-19 on Human Rights and Mental Health: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I know I am coming to the end of it. This will be my final intervention. Should it transpire that there is an imminent surge as we progress over the next two or three months, are we to say that we will debate this for a month or whatever the case may be, which could be seen by some people as a delaying tactic, or do we do something about it and leave the regulations? Incidentally, I...