Results 67,741-67,760 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I have a couple of other questions, but I will ask one final question on this subject. In the context of building faults that emerge after the event and it falls to the Government to us Exchequer funding to remedy them, apropos of nothing but apropos of everything, I am interested in those that did not have faults, those whose construction was in keeping with the best possible standards and...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Is it possible in its present format for the State Laboratory to expand its operation to deal directly with the various questions raised either from hospital analysis or from other sources, such as animal analysis? Are those laboratories sufficiently alert and do they have sufficient capacity, expertise and equipment to be able to deal with almost any source, or do we still have to export...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Is it possible to expand their services to cover more of the requirements arising from the health sector and hospitals in regard to either new or existing diseases or the analysis of various requests that come before the health services? Is it possible for the national laboratories to expand their services to deal with those, rather than having to send them abroad?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I am going through the Votes.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I have to ask about the secret service. How secret is the secret service in this country and do we get good value for money there? I expect we do.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Of course, I respect it. I will invite my colleagues to come back in.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Chair, can I ask another question?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: It will only take a minute. It is my favourite subject.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: It is about financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI. To what extent have all the outstanding matters regarding FEMPI been discharged at this time? We had discussions, which the Chair raised, on public confidence in the system, how reliable it is and how far the public can assume that it means what it says. I have had, as I am sure other members have, queries from members...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: On the payments promised to various public servants, for instance, the Covid-19-related payments, awards, special awards etc., we got an answer to that earlier. However, to ensure promises are kept to the best possible extent in the shortest possible time and to ensure public confidence in the system, can we expect those payments to front-line workers to be made in the shortest possible time?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: There are quite a number of them still outstanding, unfortunately. I thank the Chair.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Welfare and Safety of Workers and Patients in Public Health Service: Discussion (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome our guests and their invaluable contributions, which come from the coalface and from people who have been working under stress for the past three years in appalling conditions and pressured situations all the time. We must do something about it quickly. On bullying in the workplace, it is simple. We do not have to build a structure. It needs to be followed. We have become...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Welfare and Safety of Workers and Patients in Public Health Service: Discussion (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I have a short observation. I was just thinking, regarding respect for people providing services and respect for authority, etc., that we did have a blasphemy Act in this country which was struck off the Statute Book. I could not understand why at the time. I asked the question many times then and in many locations if I was the odd one out. That Act was there for a purpose, but it was...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I agree with the concerns expressed by the others. There needs to be a review by the Minister of the regulations, the way they are applied and the outcomes. Having attended at appeal hearings over many years, I have seen the basis on which decisions are made. On one occasion not so long ago I attended a hearing where the person won the appeal only for it to be overturned by an executive...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (9 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I agree with the Minister on the seriousness of the challenge and the changing landscape. We must do everything in our power to meet that challenge head on. We must first meet the challenge of the number of people who are and have been homeless in our society. We must recognise that it is easy to blame the Government for everything. The Government did not start the war in Ukraine or in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (9 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: My last comment is simply this. We should not forget so easily that, as a race, we were immigrants and asylum seekers, both economic and otherwise, for a long time. We must confront the hatemongers who are now in our society using the situation to generate fear and resentment.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I want to again emphasise the urgent necessity to tackle this issue, which has been genuinely voiced by many inside and outside the House, notwithstanding the less than genuine people who are now active in our society and acting in a seditious way to create failure and the maximum possible opposition to and hatred of people coming into our country. They have to come into our country and we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: 68. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is satisfied that adequate support exists for all children insofar as is possible who might be subjected to a threat from any quarter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6130/23]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: This particular question raises the issue of support for the protection of children in all circumstances, whether in the settled or immigration community or the courts. We have a duty to protect all children.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: The concerns of a fairly considerable cohort of mothers whose children have been removed from them have been brought to my attention recently. Their children have been removed not because they had bad mothers or bad homes but for other reasons. These mothers are victims of referrals to the system and numerous hearings where attention is not brought to the concerns they brought to the...