Results 5,341-5,360 of 26,351 for speaker:David Cullinane

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

David Cullinane: He certainly was unaware of the details. Let us be clear, he was unaware of the details of the letter.

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

David Cullinane: Was the Secretary General to the Department of the Taoiseach aware of the contents of the letter?

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

David Cullinane: Okay.

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

David Cullinane: Did the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform or his Secretary General see the contents of the letter?

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

David Cullinane: That is precisely correct because strictly private and confidential is stated on the head of the letter.

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

David Cullinane: To be clear, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, his Secretary General and the Secretary General to the Department of the Taoiseach were unaware of the contents or detail of that letter on the date Mr. Watt sent it?

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

David Cullinane: That is correct. On 25 March, we had the statement from the Department of Health announcing the CMO's retirement. Is that correct?

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

David Cullinane: At that point, on 25 March, was the Minister for Health aware of the contents of the letter Mr. Watt sent to Trinity?

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

David Cullinane: At that point, he was not aware?

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

David Cullinane: Was the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, his Secretary General or the Secretary to the Government aware on 25 March, when the statement was issued that the CMO was stepping down, of the contents of the letter Mr. Watt had sent to Trinity?

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

David Cullinane: They were not aware of the details of the letter.

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

David Cullinane: On 6 April, the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, was on "Morning Ireland" on this particular issue. At that point, was he aware of the contents of the letter?

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

David Cullinane: Mr. Watt is not the Minister, Deputy Donnelly is the Minister and he is on "Morning Ireland" answering questions about this secondment. I will get to the contents of the letter in a moment. If I were the Minister, I would imagine I would want to be fully briefed on all of the details of what the arrangements were. I would want to know every detail. Mr. Watt cannot tell me this morning if...

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

David Cullinane: I am asking Mr. Watt if he was aware of the details of the letter.

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

David Cullinane: He was on "Morning Ireland" but he was not aware of the details.

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

David Cullinane: Did he seek the details?

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

David Cullinane: He did not get all of the details.

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

David Cullinane: He was not aware. That is a really substantial omission. For a Minister to be on "Morning Ireland" answering questions about a secondment and not to be aware of the financial implications of it is a failure on Mr. Watt's part in the first instance.

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

David Cullinane: Mr. Watt is telling us that the Minister was not aware of the €2 million. Mr. Watt appeared before this committee on the very same day at which time we asked him questions. He did not inform us. He had the opportunity to say at that point that this is advanced, that he had sent a letter to the Provost of Trinity and that he had given a commitment of €2 million annual funding....