Results 7,741-7,760 of 20,099 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: We will look for that information. We will also notify RTE that we wish to have it before the committee. Hopefully, the information regarding the Department of Social Protection and any information that comes to light as a result of that will be available by that time. Is that agreed? Agreed. No. 744 is correspondence from Mr. Niall Burgess, Secretary General of the Department of...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: In terms of what has been provided to the consortium in the West Bank and the funds, if it is agreed by the committee, we will look for an update on the current situation. Is that agreed? Agreed. No. 745B is from the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, dated 21 July 2021, providing information requested by the committee on the national strategy...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: Does Deputy Munster wish to comment?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: In terms of information, the Deputy has asked a relevant question. The Minister has come out in recent days, and, as I understand it, has said that there is nothing to worry about and there will not be blackouts. However, we know that on those frosty, dark nights, the wind does not blow, so there are no wind turbines moving. We also know that there is no sun on those nights, so the solar...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: As elective representatives on the Committee of Public Accounts, it would be remiss of us to not ask a question about the cost of temporary generation of electricity with these interim solutions that will be implemented. We are concerned about continuity of supply. I take on board Deputy Catherine Murphy’s point that this is an issue for energy committee. Perhaps we should forward...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I suggest that we notify the energy committee of our concerns and forward our correspondence to it. I also suggest we bring to the attention of the Minister our concerns about the costs, ask what the cost is and raise our concerns about the continuity of supply. The next correspondence is No. 747B from Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the Department of Education,...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: My understanding from the correspondence is that Caranua is now within Department of Education. The Department has taken over its function. It is awaiting legislation on the wind-up of Caranua, which all of us here have a responsibility to get through the House. Members of this committee were hoping to see that legislation earlier this year. We need to start looking for that legislation...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: We will go back through the committee’s correspondence to Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú. We will ask those questions because there were three specific cases at the end of the process. We will seek that information. In terms of time we have about three or four minutes left. We will go over the allocated two hours after that. We have had a lot of correspondence today because of...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: On 21 October, we had considered engaging with Tusla or the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, but have not made a decision in that regard. Can I ask the members' opinion on how they wish to proceed on this date to allow the secretariat time to make the necessary arrangements? I will open this up to the floor. The choice is the RTB or Tusla. Do any members want to comment on that, or do...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: It is our choice.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: Have any members strong feelings on that one way or the other? If it is agreeable, we will invite Tusla in the first instance and will invite the RTB in later on this year. Is that agreed? Agreed. In the last session, from Christmas up to summer, because of Covid-19, we sometimes had to chop and change. In fairness to the witnesses coming in, we want to give them, as well as the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I want to raise with the Minister the crisis in the timber industry and the forestry industry. Farmers cannot get a felling licence. Over 5,000 licences are held up in the system. One case I have is three years waiting and the forestry is nearly within a stone's throw of a sawmill that is importing timber from Scotland. The reality is sawmills are importing from abroad where there are...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I welcome everyone to the meeting. Apologies have been received from Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, is a permanent witness to this committee, and he is joining us remotely. Deputy Marc MacSharry has stood down from the committee and is being replaced by Deputy James O'Connor, who may join us later. I propose that the committee...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ambulance Service (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I raise the problem with ambulance services in Laois-Offaly. There have been a number of cases over the past two years of very long delays and, in one case, a no-show. One case was an elderly man in Clonaslee left lying in a yard. That went on for over two hours. There was a case in Rathaniska in a sports field involving a massive delay. There was a case in Portlaoise recently where...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ambulance Service (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank the Minister of State for his response and join the other Deputies in thanking the ambulance crews and the staff for the absolutely magnificent work they have done over the past year, in particular the past year and a half. As for the reply, the Minister of State said that while Laois-Offaly has between five and nine "vehicle resources", which can mean cars as well, support is...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ambulance Service (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: -----and staff. The distance factor-----

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ambulance Service (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: -----needs to be pushed on. Lastly, we need to prioritise deployment in terms of fine-tuning that.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statement 2020 and Related Matters: HSE (Resumed) (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: We are resuming our examination of the financial statements of the HSE for 2020. The HSE has been advised that the areas of interest to the committee include oversight and governance arrangements concerning grants to section 38 and section 39 organisations and the service arrangement between the HSE and SouthDoc. We are joined remotely from within the precincts of Leinster House by the...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statement 2020 and Related Matters: HSE (Resumed) (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank Mr. McCarthy. I call Mr. Reid to make his opening statement and I ask him to try to limit his contribution to five minutes.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statement 2020 and Related Matters: HSE (Resumed) (23 Sep 2021)

Brian Stanley: I thank Mr. Reid for his opening statement. The first committee speaker, Deputy Colm Burke, has 15 minutes. He was to be followed by Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. As I noted earlier, Deputy Carroll MacNeill is as láthair today, so after Deputy Burke there will be six minutes for each speaker. I will give Deputy Burke a reminder after 12 minutes.