Results 141-160 of 189 for speaker:Alison Comyn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Future of the An Post Network: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Alison Comyn: Looking to the future then, we mentioned that a lot of postmasters and postmistresses are close to retirement age. What are the succession plans? Are there particular innovation or succession grants available to attract people to come into this area to prove it is not closure by stealth?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I add my words of support to my Fianna Fáil colleagues here on the matter of the student contribution. We are in coalition and in government together. It is beholden to both of us to address this issue and come to an agreement. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, made it perfectly clear what is happening with the student contribution and did not promise an increase. We are looking at a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Future of the An Post Network: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Alison Comyn: I am conscious of time. I thank the chief executive for his reply. I will ask the representatives of the Irish Postmasters Union for a response. Is there a two-tier system?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Thank you, Minister, for coming in to answer those Commencement matters. I would like to welcome some of our groups here. I feel like I am in the ballroom of romance; we have the ladies on one side and the gentlemen on the other. We have guests of Senator Chris Andrews, the Ringsend and Irishtown golden girls group. You are all golden girls and fabulous blondes. We do have more fun, do...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Local Community Safety Partnerships (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I welcome to the Seanad the Minister, Jim O'Callaghan.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Council (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I thank Members for their attention and attendance here today. With that final Commencement matter, the House stands suspended until 11.30 a.m.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I thank the witnesses for coming to answer our queries and for providing a detailed report and review. I appreciate that. It was lengthy, but I focused, as recommended, on chapter 7. One phrase that kept coming up in the early stages was that the BTP was progressing well. Will Mr. Ó Coigligh define "progressing well" for me? In other words, does the Department have formal testing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Okay. Fast forward - it was not even that fast - to December of that year, when the first progress report that said it was tracking red was given, what was the Department's response? Was there a suggestion that the system could be abandoned at that stage? Why was the decision made to continue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: At the time, was the Department's approach to how to assess a process or business case flawed overall? Has that process changed on foot of this review?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Who ultimately owned the decision to write off the €5.3 million? What disciplinary or performance actions were considered or taken at the time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Will Mr. Ó Coigligh give an update on the status of the potential legal action being taken by the Arts Council? What process is being followed by the Department in that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: What measures are now in place that will ensure much more robust internal communications on and escalation of these kinds of governance matters?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I come back to the phrase used at the start, "progressing well". Is Mr. Ó Coigligh satisfied that those recommendations are being implemented and progressing well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: With the original system, was it justified spending that amount of money and that it was going to be better than an off-the-shelf version?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Here we are over €6 million later and we are back to an off-the-shelf product. What procedures are in place to establish that the concerns or issues will not arise again?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: It will be fit for purpose.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: What was Mr. Ó Coigligh's response to that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Has Mr. Ó Coigligh discovered anything he would include at this late stage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Looking towards the future, was the Department satisfied that the off-the-shelf version of the IT system was going to be better and more beneficial even though it was going to be more costly? Was it justified?