Results 44,821-44,840 of 46,456 for speaker:Simon Harris

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: I am looking at the correspondence. I am referencing from the e-mail trail on 16 August. There seems to be a view within those e-mails that St. Patrick's Day trips could be paid for, if was deemed appropriate, but on trade missions one should not bring one's spouse regardless of whether one paid for them. I think the Taoiseach of the day had a degree of discretion. I am wondering which...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Perhaps the Deputy could get the details. As Deputy McGuinness was the Minister of State at the then Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for trade and commerce, presumably there was a significant amount of travel. Who else accompanied him on foreign trips as a Minister of State?

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: So the Deputy would have travelled with his private secretary on occasion.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Were there any other officials from his own private office?

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: That is fine.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: I think the issue that caused us concern and caused some public concern were the Deputy's comments on "Morning Ireland" which are not historic, having been made on Monday last. May I discuss them with the Deputy? In terms of trade missions he said that: "The protocol is that the wife does not travel." We all accept that. He then said, "but there are circumstances that should be considered...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: These are Deputy McGuinness's words. He said there are circumstances that should be considered where Ministers are away on State business for long periods of time and where, if they want to pay for their spouse to accompany them, that is fine. He then said that there may be other circumstances where the Minister can then make a case, within a new set of guidelines, where he believes the...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Yes, but-----

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: I appreciate the Deputy's comprehensive answer. I have a rake of questions but I am happy to come back in, other than to leave it on this point. Deputy McGuinness said that the stories about his own time as a Minister of State have been in the media since April, so I imagine he has been doing quite an amount of research to check his time in office and to check that he has all his facts and...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: That is fine. The Deputy's argument appears to be that he did not break any rules and we were in different times. Nobody has publicly contradicted him in that regard. The Deputy mentioned on numerous occasions this morning that this happened six years ago. The difficulty I have is that Deputy McGuinness, as Chairman of this committee, would not accept that from another witness such as,...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: I can give a different example.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Other people who have appeared before this committee have made that very point. The Deputy was not an innocent bystander. He made the decisions, which we will get to later. This is not about the Deputy's wife; rather, it is about the Deputy and his public office. The only reference to the Deputy's wife is in relation to that. The Deputy is the one who made the decision that his wife was...

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Statement by Chairman (13 Jun 2013)

Simon Harris: I want to get the Deputy's current views in a moment. The Deputy said the other night on "Tonight with Vincent Browne" and repeated again today that this was done six years ago when it was usual for wives to accompany their husbands and the State paid for it. It is not true to say that every Minister brought his or her spouse.