Results 2,041-2,060 of 3,119 for speaker:James O'Connor

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: It is interesting that Mr. Conlan mentioned "in-house". In terms of the appointment of ambassadors, for example, are they required to have the language of the country to which they are posted?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Would all of them have fluency in the languages of the countries to which they have been posted?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: That is a "No". Does Mr. Conlan think that should be a basic requirement to be an ambassador?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Something I found interesting is that when it came to the current reshuffle, we saw people shifting from positions in the Civil Service into ambassadorial roles. Surely, when Mr. Conlan defines "in-house" in terms of the Department of Foreign Affairs, that is the point he is making. Is that common?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: It is a different system. If a third secretary goes into the Department of Foreign Affairs, he or she rises through the ranks. As Mr. Conlan identified, it is very specific and specialist work. Does he think it is appropriate that we are pulling people from different Departments that have nothing to do with ambassadorial work?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Would the language not be one of them?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Would it be preferred for the Department to have in-house recommendations for ambassadorial appointments?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: This is the point that strikes me. If someone is Secretary General of a Department outside of the Department of Foreign Affairs, does he or she go to the Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and say he or she would like to be an ambassador when his or her term is up? How does it happen?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Mr. Conlan is the chief operating officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: It is clouded in mystery. It does not make an awful lot of sense to me how somebody lands himself or herself into an ambassadorial role as Secretary General. I do not understand. Would the Secretary General not look at career diplomats working within the Department before plucking a Secretary General from a different Department and putting him or her into an ambassadorial role?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Does the salary stay the same?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: They hold their salary. Is the salary of a Secretary General not significantly higher than an ambassador's salary?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: That is interesting and very informative. I am not trying to undermine the work Mr. Conlan is doing. It may sound like that, but that is not my intention. It is good to get that type of information. Let us say that we had a very skilled former Cabinet Minister who served in government, which is pretty much the political and democratic equivalent to being a Secretary General, would that...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: They need to be.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Does Mr. Conlan think that is something that could change in the future?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Other countries have an entirely different system.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: It is a bit ironic because there are some esteemed political representatives who, while I might not agree with their political philosophy, for example, John Bruton and others, have gone on to serve the State in a fantastic capacity in international organisations. However, Mr. Conlan says the person needs to be a civil servant.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: I have one more question to ask in my final minute. I recently travelled to Belfast to see Cork playing against Antrim. On my way home, I said I would drop out to see the facility where passports are printed. That was a Sunday. What struck me is that it was closed that day. At the height of the demand for passports, did Ms Byrne ever consider that passport offices should effectively...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

James O'Connor: Does Ms Byrne think there would have been merit in opening the public offices as a temporary emergency measure for those three or four months when the pressure came on?