Results 2,361-2,380 of 4,042 for speaker:Cormac Devlin

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33: Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Programme E - Broadcasting (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Is my time up, Chairman?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33: Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Programme E - Broadcasting (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Ms Forbes also mentioned in her opening statement, with regard to the casual contractors who were ultimately offered contracts, that 82 contracts were offered and there were 79 acceptances. Without naming anybody, can she give us a rough reason for the other three individuals deciding not to accept? I assume they were doing regular work and would have accepted a contract.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33: Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Programme E - Broadcasting (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Ms Forbes might send a note. I thank the witnesses.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I thank the Chairman. It is an important update to recognise given the discussions we have had with the OPW on this previously. If I am not mistaken, it was December of 2020 that we were told there would be a resolution to this early in the new year and, obviously, Covid-19 got in the way of that. It is in all our interests that this issue be resolved as soon as possible. It looks like...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Heritage Sites (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: 23. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the Office of Public Works engagement to protect the Glendruid Dolmen in Brennanstown, Dún Laoghaire; and if efforts will be made to ensure continued public access to this important historical site. [2480/22]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: 63. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the ongoing review into the terms and conditions of political staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas. [2479/22]

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I thank our witnesses for their opening remarks at their responses. I apologise for my delay because I am attending another committee at the same time. I thank Mr. Justice Mahon for the presentation and for the answers he has given. I want to touch on a few items if I may. Perhaps these questions have been answered already but I would appreciate responses to them. I was looking at the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: There is.

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I am going to discuss some of the statistics from the annual report in a few moments. Will Mr. Justice Mahon give the committee an overall breakdown of the complaints from a gender perspective? Have there been more complaints over the years from females than there have been from males? What about over the past 12 months? Does Mr. Justice Mahon have that figure? Does he have a breakdown...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Will Mr. Justice Mahon give a note to the committee containing a breakdown of those complaints by gender and the numbers of complainants who are retired and the numbers who are still serving? I heard what he said about the lacuna between the time a member is serving and when they transition into retirement. However, it might be of interest to the committee, particularly in the context of...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Mr. Justice Mahon answered a question from one of my colleagues a little while ago relating to the "Women of Honour" programme, which brought to light a worrying trend or culture that may have existed within the Defence Forces. I heard what Mr. Justice Mahon said about the 2004 Act, which gives him the powers to carry out his role. The customer charter quotes section 4(2)(b)(vi) of the Act,...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Is there a fear factor? I am wondering if we are seeing the true volume.

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: It does, and Mr. Justice Mahon is right about the internal process. If people have already taken that step, it would be no harm for them to go on to the ombudsman if they are not satisfied with the internal resolution of the case. That is fine. Does Mr. Justice Mahon also look at complaints from those in the Reserve Defence Force?

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: If Mr. Justice Mahon is going to send a note containing figures to the committee after the meeting, I would ask him to include the figures for the Reserve Defence Force. That would be of interest to me. It is an important figure.

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Would a rough estimate, to which I will not hold Mr. Justice Mahon, be that 80% of the complaints come from serving members, 10% from the Reserve Defence Force and 10% from retired members? Would retired members comprise even 10% of complaints?

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: That is all right. We are not going to hold Mr. Justice Mahon to his figures.

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Mr. Justice Mahon spoke of his recommendations a short while ago, and that the Defence Forces have taken those on board, which is good news. Is there a follow-up on the recommendations Mr. Justice Mahon makes? Are there checks and balances from his own office? Does he have the resources to do that?

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Of course it can, yes. In his opening statement, Mr. Justice Mahon mentioned the fact that in excess of 95% of new referrals are fully investigated and reported on within four weeks. When he said "reported on", did that mean those cases are investigated and a response has issued to the complainant or did it mean an internal report has been compiled?

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I think it is a remarkable timeframe. For 95% of the cases to be dealt with in that timeframe is very impressive, I must say. It is probably appreciated by those who are making the complaints, because they know where they stand after that investigation. Finally, I wish to turn to the issue of Women of Honour. In Mr. Justice Mahon's opening statement, he mentioned other jurisdictions,...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports from 2017 to 2020 and Related Matters: Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (20 Jan 2022)

Cormac Devlin: That is something we might consider in terms of our own recommendations as a committee, subsequently. I thank Mr. Justice Mahon and Mr. O'Neill for their attendance and for their answers to the questions of the committee members.