Results 4,621-4,640 of 35,563 for speaker:Pearse Doherty
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: In the letter of intent, it is very-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: It is very clear. That portion of the fund is going to Trinity for his-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: Ms Quinn says the processes and protocols are clear. Let me quote her here. She stated: "There are clearly defined processes and protocols in place". In fairness, you made the point that she did not name those protocols and did not reference those protocols. However, you answered the parliamentary question, yourself, on behalf of the Minister - or the Minister did - which actually...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: Do you accept, because you make the point they are never predetermined, that in this case what was attempted was that a portion of that funding was predetermined?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: It does not matter if it was 10%, 5% or 1%.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: It does not.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: The question is that you actually rejected her findings. You rejected her finding that the protocols were bypassed. Do you now accept as the Secretary General that the protocol for a portion of that funding was bypassed and she is correct in her recommendation and in her finding? You made the point earlier that she did not say who bypassed the protocols. She did say it was you, as...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: On page 22 the review says that, "The proposed funding of €2 million a year committed to by the Secretary General [that is you] ... was a very significant commitment which by-passed all of the accepted protocols for research funding and was linked atypically to one named individual." It did mention you. She does find that you are the person who "by-passed all of the accepted protocols".
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: I am reading it in the words.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: Do you not see "by the Secretary General"?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: Whether you agree with it or not, with respect, I want you to accept the fact that she has found in this report that you, as Secretary General "by-passed all of the accepted protocols for research funding and was linked atypically to one named individual." You suggested this was not done.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: No, do you accept that this is what she found? Whether you accept the finding or not, she is making the finding that it was you who bypassed all of these protocols.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: Okay, let us-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: I do not want to split hairs here, but honest to God, the commitment here in the letter of intent that you signed is for €2 million for "collaboration led by Dr Holohan from his position in Trinity College Dublin". It is not for Tony Holohan doing any other work but actually for "Dr Holohan from his position in Trinity College Dublin". That would allow Tony Holohan in his position in...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: Do you accept that the draft letter of intent mentioned an annual ring-fenced allocation for the duration of the secondment? It did not mention a figure but it also proposed that this allocation "be administered through the Health Research Board", and it further proposed that the salary would be paid to Dr. Holohan by the Department of Health until his retirement. Amendments were made to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: This was going to be announced and everything. The letter of intent was there. We went through the banking crisis. We went through the banking inquiry. There was a letter of intent given by the Secretary General in the Department which actually guaranteed banks, before there was any law passed. A letter of intent-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: Letters of intent are not just-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: I know the point you tried to make, but in fairness you tried to deflect that, and maybe successfully. The point I am making is that you dismissed the importance of a letter of intent. My point is that this letter of intent had weight and had standing and therefore-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: It did not have legal standing but money was paid out on the basis the Government had entered into commitments. Therefore, letters of intent from the Secretary General of a Department have significant weight. When you signed off on €2 million, and potentially €20 million, without any authorisation in the Estimates process and without any Government approval-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)
Pearse Doherty: This is not a question. This is a statement. You did so, as the report found, breaching all protocols. I will leave it at that.