Results 28,001-28,020 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We are talking at cross purposes.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I will come back on that point.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am getting worried about how little faith politicians have in their own integrity.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Senator Ryan may not have faith in Fianna Fáil but it appears that over the years, the public has consistently had faith in it.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Senator will, no doubt, point to the recent local elections. When the Labour Party is as large as we are following the local elections, it will be delighted.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I accept the point, however, and I will look at section 44(3)(a), where there might be some ambiguity. I am jumping ahead but the reasoning behind this is that if a measure comes back and there is a flaw in it, it is reasonable that the Government, having decided on it, can amend it.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I accept there might be some implication that we could change projects. I do not want CLÁR to give that impression. I will consider that between now and Report Stage because that was not the intention. I accept that meaning could be taken from it. I will explain what worries me. I set up a scheme under CLÁR for topping up water schemes and it has been very successful. Very simple criteria...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If I find that arises, I try to insert another rule to stop misuse of a scheme. I have no problem with changing criteria in an open way and publishing it in order to close a loophole. The integrity of the entire scheme is protected in that way. We tried to find a balance between having all the required objective criteria and good systems and flexibility to take remedial action where something...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Letters I write to Ministers are not generally on the subject to which the Senator refers.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I operate these things already. We have, for example, a good, open template in CLÁR and RAPID. I invite Senators to look at the printout of how all the schemes operate under CLÁR. It is on my Department's website. They will find that I do not personally make any decisions, except as to the group allocation of money under each heading. In other words, I decide whether to allocate €1...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: That is not the case because we are still in Government. Is this not what democracy is about? Each year, we will answer to an independent board which will make an evaluation and, ultimately, to the electorate. The electorate are not fools and I guarantee that if we were to do the crazy things outlined by Senator Ryan and were slated by the independent board, the electorate would let us know...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We have discussed the amendment.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I agree with the spirit of the amendment. There is no way I would appoint a board that was not representative or did not include high calibre people, particularly from the voluntary and community sector. It would not enter my mind not to appoint the number of representatives from the voluntary and community sector specified in the amendment. Normally, in appointing a board one seeks...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: ——and carefully and that the person selected is of the utmost integrity and independence. I am not sure, however, that he would have considered himself a candidate if I had established an extensive interview system. I remember meeting him by chance on a Galway street one week before the nomination. He asked me when I would appoint the Coimisinéir Teanga to which I replied I would do so...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: No, but I will reflect on it overnight.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I will reflect on it. The issue is one of balance. I remember from my time as Minister of State at the then Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development that I always had reservations about the idea of particular organisations nominating people to boards. I am not keen on that approach. Some of us believed that this system, which I accept was introduced for good reasons, has not...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I accept the Senator's point in principle. However, in this case there is a good reason for the provision. As the Senator is probably aware, a call was issued under the current legislation for proposals, some €300 million worth of which have now been received by the dormant accounts board, and, at its request, we have advanced permission to spend €60 million. However, there has been a...

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I regret the Senator's tone.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am sure it will.

Seanad: Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Jul 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The board has had made available to it all the money it has requested to deal with these——