Results 301-320 of 1,055,826 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:John McGuinness OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Colm Burke)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: I am talking about the structures.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: That is what I am talking about. Mr. O'Connor should never bring up something like Leinster House 2000. The OPW had to retrofit all the windows with little mortars so we could open them but now we cannot open them. You would want someone in the room with you to physically try to open them. Having said that, is it not amazing that the OPW kept the whole place running without a glitch but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: I am quoting from the annual report. It states that the Commission is responsible for determining financial and administrative policy in the Houses. In doing that, I was drawing attention to the fact that they know about financial accountability, the Committee on Public Accounts and value for money and everything else and yet they would not even ask the OPW about the price before it went to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: I know the capital allocation is the OPW’s. I understand that. I am talking about people that know things - people that are here long enough to know better. Apparently they have not taken up many learnings from all of the mistakes of the past. Mr. Conlon said the security issues were not insurmountable and that on 26 April 2021, the options included the preferred option. The OPW...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: It was its side. The commission approved the plan presented by the OPW to proceed with the project, install a covered bicycle shelter and the location and so on, but the estimate was not there. Did the commission get a little booklet to say, “Here you are. That is what it will look like. There is the spec and we will come back with the price"?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: Okay. That was to the commission, again. I am interested in the comment here under heading No. 3: "However the assessment should have placed a greater emphasis on the value for money aspects of the project." In other words, value for money was a secondary thing. That brings me back to Deputy MacSharry’s point. The punter is always short-changed on all of these things. I think...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: Yes. Has the OPW considered that? I want to ask for the costs of the works on the Garda station in Bennettsbridge and the OPW's intentions in that regard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: I know that. I am asking Mr. Conlon has An Garda Síochána approached the OPW for a new site.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: Okay. That answers that one.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: Yes, and the costings for the station in Bennettsbridge. Finally, I mention the ancient document or poem "Pangur Bán". I have raised this numerous times with the Minister and I have been fobbed off. I am not going to be fobbed off any longer. It has been made available, I understand, by the authorities in Germany. I asked that it be displayed in Kilkenny Castle because there is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: I would like Mr. Conlon to get back to me on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: Last is all the information the OPW is to bring back to us. I am sure they have a note of it but the clerk will make available the transcript of the meeting. We ask that we would meet sooner rather than later on the issue on the minds of members about which we spoke about earlier. Deputy Boyd Barrett and, indeed, Senator Byrne are waiting for that meeting to take place as soon as possible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: I thank the OPW officials for coming along today.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: I am sure the clerk can drop them a line.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Office of Public Works (25 Sep 2024)

John McGuinness: We also have to write to the commission for the minutes of those meetings to see who attended and what was said. I thank the witnesses again.

Health Information Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Health Information Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am very pleased to be here this afternoon to introduce the Health Information Bill 2024 to Dáil Éireann. The Bill may be very technical in nature. It is, however, a landmark piece of legislation and it is going to help transform the services that are provided to patients. This Bill is the legal foundation for one of the...

Planning and Development (An Taisce) Bill 2024: First Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: Is the Bill opposed?

Planning and Development (An Taisce) Bill 2024: First Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Alan Dillon: The Government is not opposing the Bill.

Planning and Development (An Taisce) Bill 2024: First Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Question put and agreed to.