Results 2,881-2,900 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Chairman said there had been a policy failure.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: If I knew that there had been such a failure, I would certainly address it. Maybe the Chairman knows more than I do but what I know is that there are questions about a particular contract that was taken out by a particular contracting authority, which in this case is the HSE. I do not know if that is an operational question, whether there was due diligence or if the framework was followed...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: It is not the role of the Office of Government Procurement to investigate individual contracting authorities.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Yes.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: It is the job of the Office of Government Procurement to form policies about procurement. It makes the rules about how to buy things and then issues those rules. It works with the contracting authorities to make sure the rules are feasible and workable. It gets expert advice and the contracting authorities are required by Government policy to follow those rules. However, we do not police...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Chairman is absolutely right. There no point in making a policy in a vacuum that has no relationship with what happens in the real world. There are learnings to be gained. We were in an emergency last year and time will be spent examining what actually happened during the emergency procurements to see whether the policy worked, whether it was followed or if anything went wrong. I...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The OGP's procurement reform board engages with the HSE. The HSE has its own procurement organisation, health business services, HBS. All of the Government is going to be examining its response to the Covid-19 crisis last year to see what is to be learned from it. I am sure there will be-----

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Can I come in on the subject of SMEs?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I meet regularly with SMEs and their representative bodies to ask them what they would like changed in the procurement process in order that they can win more procurement contracts as small Irish companies. I do that quarterly and I am due to meet them again in a couple of weeks. It is a fact that the majority of public procurement spend goes to SMEs at the moment. That is the situation....

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Regarding the capital works management framework, I am not sure if there was a specific question on it. The capital works management framework is our general framework for all major capital works. Specifically, we have 40 projects coming up, the value of which will be more than €100 million, which will have to be managed carefully. As part of that, we follow the recommendations in...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I am not sure what the Deputy is looking for? Is it a report on non-compliant procurement across all of government?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (Revised) (2 Mar 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I will communicate with the OGP on that matter and revert to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (17 Feb 2021)

Ossian Smyth: 342. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of an application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8859/21]

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Flood Risk Assessments (14 Jan 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Naughten. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, has asked me to apologise on his behalf. He cannot be here to contribute to this debate in person for reasons related to the pandemic. I understand that he has been in contact with the Deputy regarding this matter on a number of occasions since 4 January. The Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Flood Risk Assessments (14 Jan 2021)

Ossian Smyth: My party leader is indeed here beside me so I am being watched but I will take Deputy Naughten's six suggestions back to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. The Deputy clearly cares very strongly about this issue and it is clear that he has engaged extensively with a number of Ministers on this matter. He has also been talking to Deputies Fitzmaurice and Kerrane and Senators Dolan and...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Dec 2020)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and Senators for having me here today. The Appropriation Bill 2020 is an essential element of financial housekeeping that must be concluded by both Houses of the Oireachtas before the end of this year. The Bill serves two primary purposes. First, the Appropriation Bill is necessary to authorise in law all of the expenditure that has been undertaken in 2020...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Dec 2020)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senators for their comments and for supporting the Bill. I also thank Senators on all sides for the acknowledgement of the great expenditure that went into protecting people and businesses this year. The pandemic unemployment payment was a significant innovation and rapidly delivered by the Department of Social Protection. Impressively, most people got this payment online. For...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Tests (3 Dec 2020)

Ossian Smyth: 343. To ask the Minister for Health if he will introduce Covid-19 testing for hospital inpatients upon discharge from hospital in view of the risk of introducing Covid-19 into a private household. [40891/20]

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: National Broadband Plan (25 Nov 2020)

Ossian Smyth: As I mentioned, there is a strong consumer protection framework in place to protect mortgage and other loan borrowers. Borrowers have a suite of protections and lenders have a range of responsibilities to discharge when dealing with borrowers in arrears. There are also a number of public supports available to borrowers in debt difficulty, such as MABS and the Abhaile service for mortgage...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: National Broadband Plan (25 Nov 2020)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Durkan for raising the matter. In the first instance I wish to express my sincere condolences to the borrower on her recent bereavements. In this case I assume the Deputy is referring to a borrower whose mortgage is held by the entity to which he referred in the details supplied. This entity in question is authorised on a transitional basis on the Central Bank's register of...