Results 6,421-6,440 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Data (7 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: 207. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number and percentage of SMEs' share of below threshold public contracts in the past ten and 20 years, respectively. [35697/18]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test Data (7 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: 1081. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of registered driver instructors that are independent or self-employed as opposed to being franchised to companies such as a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35568/18]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (18 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: 654. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will address matters (details supplied) regarding the construction of roads. [37236/18]

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (18 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: 704. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the capital allocation for the rural regeneration and development fund in each of the years 2019 to 2023; the projects this fund will contribute towards; the location of each; and the function, commencement, completion dates and annual costs of each. [37238/18]

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (18 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: 705. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he will adress matters regarding programmes (details supplied); the capital allocation for these projects in each of the years 2019 to 2023; the projects this fund will contribute towards; and the location, function, commencement and completion date and annual costs of each. [37239/18]

Home Building Finance Ireland Bill 2018: Instruction to Committee (19 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I will be very brief. As Deputy Michael McGrath has outlined, we are not even discussing the Bill itself tonight or the amendments being tabled for tomorrow. We are only discussing whether they can be moved and discussed tomorrow. The Ceann Comhairle has ruled that this is what needs to happen and we agree with him. It is unfortunate. I hope it is not something we will have to do...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Priorities for Budget 2019: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (19 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I have two questions, the first of which relates to the health budget and, depending on how one looks at it, the projected underfunding, or overspend. For a number of weeks, Sinn Féin has been trying to discover how much of that overspend is going to be classed as a recurrent cost because the answer to that question will impact on the budgetary process. We have not been able to get an...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Priorities for Budget 2019: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (19 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Will the White Paper tell us how much of the overrun is recurring expenditure that has to be built into the budget?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Priorities for Budget 2019: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (19 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Will we ever find out how much is recurring expenditure? How do we find it out?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Priorities for Budget 2019: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (19 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I have looked at some of the recruitment trends in health. The fourth quarter of the year is usually when most recruitment is done, which indicates the number of new staff is likely to be above the target. Predicting the amount of new staff is becoming increasingly difficult. Do the witnesses believe that the Government should be providing that type of information? Should it tell us how...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Priorities for Budget 2019: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (19 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: We are in the middle of a housing crisis and we need to increase our housing output, I would argue, over and above the Government target. Mr. Coffey says that if we do this too quickly there is the potential for housing to be a driver in overheating the economy. How do we get around that? If we need more houses and we have to build them to accommodate the crisis how do we in doing so...

Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (25 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: The Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, said that no one on these benches had a monopoly on compassion or empathy, and I agree completely. No one on these benches believes we have that monopoly. The Government does not have a monopoly on solutions either, however, and there are solutions being suggested right across the Chamber. The Government seems to think it has a monopoly on...

Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Report Stage (26 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I was not going to speak either because my colleague, Deputy O'Reilly, has outlined all the arguments in favour of the Bill, as the two previous speakers have eloquently done also. I wish to comment on some of the claims which were made. It is not factually true to suggest there would be two bottles on a shelf, one with a label warning of the associated risks of alcohol and cancer, and...

Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Report Stage (26 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: And us.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: As to the health overspend, why are we not able to predict it? The Minister has said that one of the drivers is the acute hospital sector. We know that every year. For the last five years, the acute hospital sector has been the area where we have seen that overspend. What is the Minister's difficulty in predicting the drivers within the overspend?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: On the overspend in the acute hospitals sector, is the Minister concerned that the third quarter of the year is always the quarter where a significant increase is seen?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: What steps are being taken in the Department to ensure we are not in the same position next year?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: If I can touch on housing, why has the Department made a decision not to go above the figures in terms of planned house-building set out in the capital plan? In light of the current crisis, is there a particular reason we are not spending more on housing?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Yes.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Would the Minister agree that if we ramped up house construction, it would not pose a risk to overheating the economy?