Results 31,421-31,440 of 32,983 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Agreement 2010-14: Discussion with Implementation Body (11 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: I was struck by the progress made with the Labour Relations Commission on standardising the working hours of local authority workers. I believe it went to 34.5 hours - is that so?

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Agreement 2010-14: Discussion with Implementation Body (11 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: It went from an average of 30 to 31 up to 34 for some local authorities. Is that enough?

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Agreement 2010-14: Discussion with Implementation Body (11 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: I will put it in context. The full industrial relations machinery of the State, including the Labour Relations Commission, was exhausted to get to that point. The working hours increased by approximately 1.5 hours on average. Is that enough to allow us to say to the public that we are making the kind of change in work practice we need in local authorities?

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Agreement 2010-14: Discussion with Implementation Body (11 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: Where does the streamlining of annual leave stand at the moment?

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Agreement 2010-14: Discussion with Implementation Body (11 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome Mr. Fitzpatrick back to the committee and thank him very much for his presentation and the work the body is doing. I will touch on a few areas about which he commented to colleagues and a number of matters in the report. He referred to the rationale used in the change to the Garda rosters. I agree that it was a massive change and have witnessed the huge difference it has made in...

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Agreement 2010-14: Discussion with Implementation Body (11 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: It is noticeable, but I made a broad comment. The benchmark against which we evaluate change needs to be higher than the lack of change that took place in some areas prior to the Croke Park agreement. Having a new roster is a big achievement. However, given that it had not changed in 40 years, I would have sought a higher benchmark than the lack of change. Does that make sense?

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion (11 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister and Minister of State. I have read all of the progress reports and found them very helpful. Any initiative the Government undertakes is being sucked up underneath the umbrella of the Croke Park agreement. Let me give an example from the progress report from September which states we have progressed in relation to ordnance surveys, Revenue online and data sharing....

Public Accounts Committee: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion (11 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: I accept the Minister's point. I believe it is the first time the Garda roster has changed in 40 years. To put it bluntly, why has it taken so long to achieve something that everybody would want to make happen? The Minister's point, which I accept, is that 3,000 people have moved across the health service to fill jobs. Many people would say that should happen anyway. If there is a...

Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (10 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: I want to return to some of the points touched on by Deputy Derek Nolan, particularly the concept being put forward by Sinn Féin of a wealth tax being the panacea and the only solution that is needed to the terrible difficulty the country is facing. If Deputy Stanley or any other representative from Sinn Féin was still in the Chamber, the only question I would ask of him is exactly...

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: I will leave it at that. The Chairman said at the start of the meeting he felt it was very appropriate that the committee look at the challenges for public accounts today rather than in two years time, when the date has passed. That is an approach with which I entirely agree. Within this meeting we have shown, or most of us have shown, our ability to do that. I thank Mr. O'Brien for his...

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: I have a question relating to page 17 of the report from July 2012. It looks at the finance by different segments of expenditure and where the different deficits stand at present. Table 1 has a figure of €351 million, which has increased to the €404 million figure given earlier. The hospital services figure is in table 2. Can the witness give us an update on where that...

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: Is that part of the €404 million figure?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: Would Mr. Woods be able to fill in that chart in terms of the components and that variance?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: I mean the left side panel in table 2 on hospital services.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: What does DML stand for?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: In all cases, therefore, the deficit has increased as it went into the extra month.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: That gives the deficit as it stood then.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: The deficit figure of €500 million, which is a huge figure we are all very concerned about and which Deputy McDonald referred to earlier, has been in the public domain for some time now. Even in the report I have here, there is reference to the fact that the HSE expected, if things went unchecked, there would be a deficit of roughly that level later in the year. Am I correct in that?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: When did that figure come into the public domain?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Paschal Donohoe: There has been clarity that if other things did not change and if measures were not put in place, a deficit of that level would be reached.