Results 17,001-17,020 of 26,148 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: As a committee, we will follow up on that. Have offices been leased in Ireland for the call centre?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Okay. There were 4,000 calls in one day, 1,200 of which were answered. That means that only one in three of those who called spoke to an operator. We do not know the full circumstances behind that. It seems a relatively low level of throughput, given the level of callers who stayed on the line. That was with 25 to 35 staff. Have 60 to 90 or 60 to 70 staff been recruited for the call centre?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I would have thought the figure would be at the upper end of 90. There will be a lot of calls initially. It is something we as a committee will take up with the Department of Health. The way the digital Covid certificate has been rolled out has been very efficient, but the call centre will be a huge element of the end service. Will the Department of Health have oversight of that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Okay. Why was it decided to subcontract the service to a private operator? Why was it not done by Departments?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: The digital Covid certificate I have received is self-explanatory. It is well laid out and includes thereopen.europa.eu/enaddress. It is highly effective. I thought there would be a one-stop-shop where people could see all of the various aspects of the certificate. I have no doubt it is something that will happen as the certificate is rolled out. Will people be able to visit a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: No, I do not think that. It is an observation. The process has been simplified. Effectively, the entire house has been painted. I would like there to be nice handles on the doors as well. A lovely job has been done; it just needs the finishing touch. We will bring the Minister of State and Mr. Lowry back in to discuss the NCSC and the report. Will the report on the capacity review be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: When will that be?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: We will probably have a meeting in public session on the more substantive areas. When does the Minister of State anticipate he will publish the redacted report?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I ask that in a context in which the budget has gone up to €5.1 million, which we welcome. The number of staff is going up to 70. We would like to support the NCSC to get more funding. The consequences of cyberattacks are enormous. We will discuss that in session with the Minister of State at the start of the term in September. I thank the Minister of State for the work he has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: We have had an honest discussion and this is important. We accept the Minister of State's bona fides. We can come back on that matter but it was important that we discussed it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I was going to put it more diplomatically but I have no doubt that Mr. Lowry is quite happy with his own role.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I take on board the points the Minister of State has made. We just want to contribute to the improvement of what is already a good system in respect of the digital Covid certificate, which is clearly being considered for use as a Covid pass. How do we ensure due diligence in that respect and that its use with regard to indoor dining will be foolproof? These are aspects to be considered....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: We are aware of the current rules. We were looking at linking it in with the changes to come on 19 July, following up on issues that arose yesterday in our meeting with Ms Canavan and seeking clarity. We welcome the Minister of State's clarity. We hope that there will be a formal announcement soon so that there will be certainty in respect of travel between Ireland and the UK and elsewhere.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Is it the Minister of State's personal view or the view of the Government?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: We look forward to 19 July. The Minister of State has given us a flavour of the aspects being considered on which decisions are being made.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (15 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I welcome the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and McGrath. I have two brief questions. The first is for the Minister, Deputy Donohoe. Page 29 of the summer economic statement states that because of developments with the OECD, there could possibly be lower corporation tax receipts. It states, "The Department of Finance’s central estimate is that revenues from this source could be around...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (15 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: In layman's terms, does the €2 billion in the economic statement include any potential revision on the rate or is it just mainly about Pillar 1? The minimum rate being proposed is 15%. Does the proposal from the OECD speak about that minimum rate applying over a period of time? Does it speak about it being reviewed in a number of years? Has it gone into that level of detail? That...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (15 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Does the Minister anticipate that it will be a five to ten-year agreement?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (15 Jul 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am saying the reverse. I am putting the case that if an agreement is made and that agreement is subject to a review every two or three years, that provides a huge degree of uncertainty. There is a public consultation process under way and we value our low corporation tax rate. It is one of the pillars of our economic model. Whatever agreement arises out of this, the Minister anticipates...