Results 5,181-5,200 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: There is no indication in any part of the correspondence that this is subject to a final sign-off by the Minister. Should it not be the normal case when the Secretary General is exchanging letters and there needs to be a final approval that there would be a line indicating it is subject to the Minister providing approval? At no stage in any of the correspondence was there any indication. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Once a letter of intent is sent out and once it is accepted by the other side, it is generally an agreement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Legally, it is. If I send out a letter of intent stating terms and what we are prepared to provide, and if I make an offer to a person and that offer is accepted, then we have a contract. This clearly indicated to me there was no reference that this was subject to final sign-off by the Minister.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Legally, I am telling Mr. Watt that the Department sent an offer-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: -----and the offer was accepted. That is a contract. Now Mr. Watt is saying to me it was still subject to ministerial approval, yet there was no reference in that letter to ministerial approval.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: But it must be signed off by the Minister-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: -----and there is no reference in any part of the letters to this being subject to a final sign-off by a Minister. Therefore, if an offer is made and the offer is accepted, it is an enforceable contract.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Let me put it another way. If I were to ask the Attorney General to give me advice on whether this was an offer and, if Trinity College were to accept this offer, we would have a binding agreement, I would say he would say there was a binding agreement there unless there was a clause in it that this was subject to the final agreement of the Minister.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Maybe we should write to the Attorney General for an opinion on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: I am just saying there are legal technicalities in this issue. The letter was quite clear. It had to be signed off by the end of March. There was no reference at any stage in the letter that this was subject to the final agreement of the Minister. I wish to move on to this other issue of a joint approach by the Department. By the way, I agree we need to have a far greater and better...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Mr. Watt not think we would achieve much more if there was a joint approach-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: -----by both our third level colleges, hospitals and the people involved in new equipment being designed, pharmaceuticals or a whole range of treatments? Do our guests think we could do much more if we set out a clear 20-year policy on how we can have better co-operation? There is an advantage for both sides. Has the Department looked at that or will it be doing so? Medicine is now...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Dr. Holohan not agree that we do not have a policy as such?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Dr. Holohan think a policy needs to be developed by the Department and Government on this whole area so there is a far better benefit to the ordinary person on the street?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Dr. Holohan think the current policy operated by the Department is adequate? Do we need to come into the new age in relation to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Dr. Holohan believe there is a need for a definitive policy to be developed not only in the Department of Health but across other Departments as well, centred on research and development and having far more co-ordination between our third level institutions and medical services and the people involved directly in providing medical devices and products in all that area?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank Dr. Holohan for his contribution over the last number of years as Chief Medical Officer and wish him well in his future endeavours.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice
Vote 21 - Prisons (28 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: Will both facilities be working for a period of time in order to do that transition?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice
Vote 21 - Prisons (28 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: I will move on to capital projects in general and the time the Department takes from making a decision to proceed with a capital project to getting it through planning and the appointment of contractors and finalised. In my constituency, for instance, we had a project which went on for eight years. A huge amount of additional money had to be paid by the Department as a result of that delay.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice
Vote 21 - Prisons (28 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: It was Glanmire Garda Station. Contracts were signed and an issue then arose about whether to proceed with the contract. Full interest was paid on the purchase price for a period of, I think, six years. Interest of six years was paid. It was one of those projects. I wonder about the mechanism in place for projects from start to finish. The Office of Public Works is involved in some of...