Results 3,361-3,380 of 26,399 for speaker:John McGuinness

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Oct 2021)

John McGuinness: We do not have direct authority to find out anything about the private sector. We should have direct authority in the context of general information, to find out, for example, how many protected disclosures arose in Government Departments and agencies in the course of each of the last five years, and how many of those cases were settled without going to court. Is that possible?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Oct 2021)

John McGuinness: Will Ms Morgan provide the committee with as much information as she can on that question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Oct 2021)

John McGuinness: I will conclude my questions by dragging it all back to individual examples. The Department deals with legislation, the law, how it should be framed, the context of the wording and so on. I deal with practicalities for whistleblowers and their experiences. In most cases, whistleblowers will say that if they had known this was going to happen to them, they would never have informed their...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Oct 2021)

John McGuinness: I thank Mr. Menton and his colleagues for being with us today. These exchanges are worthwhile. I thank the members for their contributions as well. That brings our engagement on this issue to an end.

Climate Action: Statements (30 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: I do not think anyone disagrees with the problems we are facing in how we interact with the planet in our daily lives and what we need to do to make life better and more sustainable. Much of the rhetoric and commentary on this particular proposal, particularly from the Government side, is to placate the Green Party. That is my honest opinion.

Climate Action: Statements (30 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: It is not matching the reality of life. This is the reality I face every day in my constituency. Let us consider farming and the suckler cow issue, an activity in which many families are involved. How do we have a just transition that moves that farming family from one activity to the other? There is no discussion about that. If we are building a new cheese plant in south Kilkenny and...

Climate Action: Statements (30 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: I have solutions. We should support the transport sector to make that just transition.

Climate Action: Statements (30 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: Invest in them. Invest in farming to get them to a point we want to get them. I do not see one shilling for the just transition in the midlands.

Climate Action: Statements (30 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: Many bus and coach operators that bring in visitors here and travel all over the country, some of which are based in my constituency, made the effort and could not get the vehicles. They could not afford the vehicles. They decided then they were going to change tyres and have proper green-types of tyres, and guess what? The tyres wear quicker, cost more and a person has to use two of them...

Climate Action: Statements (30 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: It was a wonderful article.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (30 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: In 2011, the Fine Gael Government promised the roll-out of broadband, particularly in rural Ireland. The same was said by the following Government and it is being said now by this coalition. However, in spite of what the Tánaiste said in reply to Deputy Cahill earlier, the evidence on the ground is that businesses are suffering badly. Deputy Cahill gave the example of a business in...

Housing for All: Statements (Resumed) (29 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: I welcome the opportunity to discuss the proposals outlined in this document. I was with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, last week in Kilkenny, where we visited several completed housing schemes. The houses were top quality. Tenants had moved into some of them and they were more than happy with the finished product. The Minister is enthusiastic and passionate about delivery of this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee (29 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: I advise members to please turn off their mobile phones. I ask them to identify themselves as they make their contributions to the meeting. Apologies have been received from Deputy Matthews. The minutes of the joint committee meeting of 14 July 2021 were agreed at the committee's private meeting last week on pre-legislative scrutiny of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (29 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: I welcome our guests. We are joined by: Mr. Seamus Clarke SC, vice chairman, and Mr. Raphael O'Leary BL, junior counsel, from the Bar of Ireland; Mr. Ray Merrick, executive director, and Mr. Ronan Kennedy, policy officer, from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties; and Mr. John Farrelly, chief executive, Ms Orla Keane, general counsel, and Ms Joanna Macklin, senior panel manager, from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (29 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: I call Deputy Durkan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (29 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: Does Deputy Durkan wish to conclude? The Deputy is on mute.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (29 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: Is there any data available on the issues raised by Deputy Durkan? The answer is "No".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (29 Sep 2021)

John McGuinness: I have some questions for our guests. How many cases have ended up in court arising from the current legislation?