Results 3,921-3,940 of 10,569 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: A number of Guided Heritage Visitor sites managed by the Office of Public Works have been re-opening to the public in recent weeks and months.  The table attached summarises the position currently and is correct as at Monday 27th July 2020.This list will be amended on an ongoing basis as the status of these, or other locations still currently closed, changes. Visitors should note...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Heritage Visitor sites managed by the Office of Public Works were and continue to be directly affected by the Covid-19 crisis with both year-round and seasonal sites within the portfolio closed to the public during the shutdown.  OPW has been working to re-open operations at a number of sites and in the main, the majority of sites which can re-open to the public have now done...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (28 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: 438. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the shorter school day for junior infants (details supplied) will be re-examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18144/20]

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have already initiated discussions within the Department. I am a former Minister of State with responsibility for sport and we were trying to develop a national greenways strategy. I have asked the Commissioners and chairman of the OPW to consider this matter. Some of our old embankments are incapable of carrying walkways, but some of the newer ones that we are rolling out present an...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy. Instead of specific numbers that I would ordinarily be asked to respond on, she is asking more of a policy question in the particular context of what is happening at the moment. I do not disagree with what she has said. In recent years, we have seen different types of displacement in our economy, including in terms of what the future of jobs will look like. For...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: On Cloonlara and the area around Springfield in particular, Clare County Council applied under Part 10 for planning permission on 20 July. I lend my support to the council's application for that scheme. The OPW is committed to it. I am a neighbour down the road in County Limerick. We in the midwest know the connection between Cloonlara and Limerick. We have sympathy for the people in...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: Do I have time to respond to the Fianna Fáil Deputies?

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: Much of what Deputy Flaherty referred to is covered in the national development plan under a number of different agencies, including Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Irish Water and the councils. With regard to Deputy Crowe's comments, I do not have responsibility for water in the sewerage system. This is under the remit of the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: In response to the Deputy's earlier contribution, I meant to acknowledged the support he has given to the temporary wage subsidy scheme and to the pandemic unemployment payment. We are in the situation with this Estimate where four fifths of our spending has already been reached. We need to ensure that this Estimate is passed for the very people the Deputy talks about, namely, nurses and...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will try to answer as quickly as I can. Some of them are no longer my brief, although they were until the transition. The construction innovation fund is a concept that was developed during my time in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform around the area of building information modelling technology so that we could use best practice in the private sector to ensure that when...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I think I answered it. People take responsibility based on the demands that society as a whole puts on us as a Government. If people have additional responsibilities and are expected to be able to relay those to the House, I think their salaries should reflect the responsibilities of everyone else sitting at the Cabinet table.

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: As I already told Deputy Shortall, the rationale for increasing the number sitting at Cabinet was laid out by the three party leaders when the Government was formed. There are increasing demands on all of us. There was a suggestion of Departments being abolished or being merged in advance of the programme for Government, which some interest groups, lobbies and Deputies opposed. There were...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am trying to be-----

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am trying to be respectful to the Deputy's party and answer the questions asked by the previous Sinn Féin speaker, Deputy Mairéad Farrell, as well as those asked by Deputy Doherty. She deserves answers to the very important questions she raised. On the issue of capital expenditure within my Department, Deputy Farrell raised a very interesting issue in the context of Covid in...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I point out to Deputy Doherty that I do not come to the House to waffle. If he does not like the answers I give, that is fine, but he should not try to insult people. I am present and I am answerable to the House. I provide answers to the questions I am asked. If he does not like the answers, that is fine. He should try to show a bit of respect.

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: Through the Chair, there is a way to take that issue up without insulting somebody who is here trying to answer questions. On the issue of King's Island, as Deputy Quinlivan is aware, it is at design and planning stage. The current level of expenditure is approximately €4.18 million. The expenditure for 2019 is €452,000. I have an interest in this issue because it affects...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will try to respond briefly to the questions from both of the Sinn Féin Deputies.

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: This is Sinn Féin's time.

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will try to answer both sets of questions because the Deputies are from the same party. First of all, as I said out at the outset, I apologise for the fact that the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, is not available. There is a Cabinet meeting on the July stimulus which he had to attend. Deputy Farrell referred to a lack of detail in the Revised Estimates. We are fully prepared to...

Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020 (23 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I move the following Revised Estimates: Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €42,745,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2020, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, for certain services...