Results 3,121-3,140 of 26,695 for speaker:John McGuinness

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: Okay, we can deal with that another day. Right now we are dealing with Mr. Fraser in relation to the secondment issue and in general the processes involved in that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: I am not excluding the Deputy's question. I am simply saying Mr. Fraser has answered and I do not think he will add to that answer because either he cannot, he does not know or it is not for his Department. The Deputy will have to take that answer and then we will have to deal with it in terms of our work programme later on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: What whose role is?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: I am after clarifying it. I will not cut the Deputy short. If he wants to ask the question again or if Mr. Fraser wants to comment further on it that is fine but in the absence of an answer that satisfies the Deputy I cannot do much about it. Does Mr. Fraser have anything further to add to the answers already given to Deputy Durkan?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: Does Deputy Durkan have another question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: We can do that but perhaps these are matters the Deputy should have raised when we decided to ask Mr. Fraser to come before the committee. We did ask Mr. Watt, as the Deputy knows, and he declined and did not attend.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: Mr. Fraser, how long have you been with the Department of An Taoiseach?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: In the same Department?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: It is fair to say that you are an experienced civil servant and would know extensively about how the Civil Service operates, its faults and failures as well as the positive side to it, which must be considered too. You have a broad knowledge of it. You are referred to as the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach but in correspondence I often see it stated that you are the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: Would you have much direct engagement-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: What is your interaction in that role with other Secretaries General?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: Yes, so you would have regular meetings with the Secretaries General.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: At any stage during those meetings was this issue raised?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: In that, just for the information of members, there are three things. All secondments will be temporary in nature, all secondment advertisements will be sent to the Civil Service HR division and, in general, an advertised position should be circulated to all staff. It is very clear on the steps that one has to take. Let us move then to the letter of 16 March to Professor Linda Doyle,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: Okay. So Mr. Fraser is off on his ambassadorial role now to the United Kingdom. I wish him well in that. I hoped the Civil Service could have been left behind well reformed and with its members attuned to attending committee meetings but maybe we have a little more work to do on that. As I mentioned, I recognise Mr. Fraser's input to this meeting. I will leave it at that unless any other...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: I can, indeed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: The issue that we are discussing today, which is the secondment. Was it ever raised at a-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: I just want to put things in context here. There is a significance in what Mr. Watt points out here, that the Secretary to the Government was told certain things. He comments on it in his report. I want to go back again to the circular which was spoken about here. The circular was issued on 23 December, 2021. It is not an old document but is a recent circular that was sent out. Would...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Civil Service (26 Apr 2022)

John McGuinness: 163. To ask the Taoiseach the rationale behind the establishment of the Civil Service Accountability Board; the date it was established; the names of the members of the board; the chairman and the process of appointment; the number of meetings held by the Board; and if the minutes of each meeting are available in hard copy or online. [18742/22]