Results 6,821-6,840 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: The Minister of State should withdraw the amendment.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: We will study the wording and, if it is appropriate, we will support it.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I would like to have a bit of discussion on this amendment. It is diluting some of the safeguards that were secured in the Seanad amendments. The main impact of this change in the wording is that the condition of necessity and proportionality - this is my reading of it - is being removed. The reason it is being removed is not 100% certain. We have already accepted amendments from the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: That is okay.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Services Regulation (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: 250. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps taken to act on the 2006 recommendations of the Competition Authority to establish a legal services commission in order to regulate the legal profession and legal services market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52015/18]

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Health Budget and Expenditure Management: Discussion (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is it likely that we will need another Supplementary Estimate this year?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Health Budget and Expenditure Management: Discussion (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: How hopeful?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Health Budget and Expenditure Management: Discussion (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: We got a breakdown of the Supplementary Estimate and where it is being spent. Most of it is going to the HSE regions and other health agencies. The breakdown was pretty detailed. It states that this was not to fund any additional activity but to maintain current levels. If this is the case, if any of the additional allocation is due to an increase in unexpected demand, what performance...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Health Budget and Expenditure Management: Discussion (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Mr. Desmond tells us there is monthly monitoring of the budgets. However, up to a week before the budget, we could not get an answer from the Ministers for Health or Public Expenditure and Reform on what the likely Supplementary Estimate would be. Is there a reason they do not know?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Health Budget and Expenditure Management: Discussion (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: That is why I asked if we are going to need an additional Supplementary Estimate. It is very hard to have confidence even in the Supplementary Estimate that was passed as to whether it is going to be enough, considering there is such a lag. Surely there is a better way of pinning this stuff down.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Health Budget and Expenditure Management: Discussion (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Where are now in respect of that?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: Committee Stage. (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I agree with the amendment. I will take the opportunity to speak on the section. A number of amendments were ruled out of order. One of them was tabled by Deputy Cowen and one was tabled by me. The amendment related to a cohort of public servants who would be excluded under the legislation, particularly those who are working under the circular at present. The policy adviser in my office...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: Committee Stage. (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Three reasons were given by the officials. One was that some of those public sector workers may not have been re-hired in the role they were in and they may be in new roles. The second was that some of those workers no longer pay into the old pension scheme and, if they resumed employment on a permanent basis at the old salary scale they had left, then a new pension scheme would have to be...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: Committee Stage. (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I move amendment No. 6:In page 4, line 10, to delete “but not higher than 75 years”. The amendment seeks to remove the upper limit on the age for retirement. It is the policy of my party that we are opposed to a mandatory age.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: Committee Stage. (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is the Government agreeing that the age being prescribed will be higher than 70 years and that no upper limit will be put on it?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: Committee Stage. (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: It proposes the deletion of the words "not higher than 75 years".

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: Committee Stage. (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: To answer Deputy Murphy's initial question, some studies have been done. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform reviewed this issue in its Review of Barriers to Extended Participation in Public Service Workforce report, which was published in November of last year. The report in question analysed the arguments in favour of and against the proposed extension in the four key areas of...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: Committee Stage. (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: We are not proposing to table any amendments on Report Stage. We are as eager as the Minister of State to have this done as quickly as possible. Whatever we can do to facilitate that will be done.

Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (12 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: As my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty said, we debated this legislation six years ago when we introduced similar legislation to introduce interest rate restrictions. At the time the Government turned down the legislation. I remember contributing to that debate at the time. One of the reasons the Government gave was the need to get more information on the consequences of bringing in an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Will the Tánaiste say that with a straight face?