Results 10,261-10,280 of 11,861 for speaker:Brian Hayes

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: From An Bord Pleanála?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: That is an interesting discussion but I am not sure how germane it is to the Bill. It is an important part of the construction sector as we try to improve construction levels and see greater activity in the area. I think it is fair to say that public procurement within the construction sector operates in the most successful way when the authority makes clear what it wants at the...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: That is half the battle.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: Once they are not paid in cash-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: The first question that came to mind when I read this amendment was who was going to pay for the site notice being erected. This is about public contracts but what about private contracts?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: When a contract is awarded, a schedule of payments by the State to the main contractor is agreed. The contractor then receives those payments as the work is done and he or she in turn pays the subcontractors. I know what the Deputy is getting at, but I do not see the significance of this. When I read this again last night one of the first thoughts that came to mind was that it is part of a...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: That is a very good suggestion. The INTO, ASTI and TUI should be asked for their observations on that. It is a very interesting suggestion that the money would go to the schools and based on the hand-over to the teachers we should all know about it, rather than the current centralised system where they are paid on time every two weeks. They might have something to say about that, but it is...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: We are examining that in terms of a project bank account, which is the point Deputy McDonald raised. These have been established in the UK and, as I understand it, the main contractor and the subcontractors are all referred to and paid out of this designated project account and in that way they know exactly where they stand in terms of the total drawdown funds that the state makes available...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: It does not need to be included in legislation. It is a policy decision. We do not need to put it into law.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: It might be useful to have a separate meeting, as it is not part of the legislation. I will have no difficulty in coming back to the committee to have a more detailed discussion on that issue. It is not our experience that main contractors sit back. They are the people who must deliver the project. It depends on the size of the contracting company and it is common for it to use...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: Yes. That they simply wash their hands of the issue is not our experience. However, I agree with Deputy Sean Fleming's other point on volunteer boards of management. He is correct that we are asking volunteers to take on a significant responsibility because the board is ultimately liable for the school under the Education Act. We need to ensure people receive the training and support they...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: I move amendment No. 15: In page 5, subsection (1), lines 33 to 35, to delete paragraph (a) and substitute the following:“(a) if the value of the contract is not more than €10,000, or”.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: I move amendment No. 17: In page 5, subsection (1)(b), line 36, to delete “the value of the contract is more than €200,000, and”.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: I move amendment No. 18: In page 5, subsection (1), to delete line 42 and in page 6, to delete lines 1 to 3 and substitute the following:“her residence.”.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: All of the limits have been pushed down to €10,000.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: I assure the Deputy that it was not discussed while he was absent from the room. I understand the point he is raising.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: I have explained that the thresholds were introduced because of a securities issue. When that issue was highlighted for Senator Feargal Quinn at the time, the view was taken to resolve it. As a consequence, the issue of thresholds would be resolved, as they were linked. Now that the issue of the thresholds has been resolved, this issue was brought to my attention very recently. I do not...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: We do not want a situation where people who have a genuine grievance, which cannot be resolved through the adjudication process, find that grievance cannot be resolved. However, we want to get the balance right by having genuine thresholds, which we have on the monetary side. I refer to the argument on the existing 200 sq. m and whether that provides some difficulty. As I said, it was very...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: The issue of the 200 sq. m is not the same difficulty as the bespoke supplies.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 May 2013)

Brian Hayes: That would be very useful.