Results 5,521-5,540 of 11,580 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: 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...

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: Has the Department of Justice done a review? I know of one case involving the Coast Guard service, which has nothing to do with the Department of Justice. In that case, contracts were sent to the Office of the Chief State solicitor and the OPW to sign off on them. There was a gap of two years between the contracts being sent and being signed. The project was delayed by two years. What...

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: Does Ms McPhillips not believe that this should now be reviewed in view of the way costs have changed? What are the urgent issues that the Department of Justice needs to prioritise now?

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 the issue of policing, security and community safety Bill, which relates to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, and the Policing Authority. Has there been engagement on the Bill? I know it has not been passed. Has there been engagement at this stage to ensure that when it is passed we can put in place mechanisms to ensure an easy and cost-effective...

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: From the time the legislation is fully put in place, how long will it take to have it fully operational and functioning?

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: To return to capital projects, the valuation of the Thornton Hall site is still €49.3 million. Is that an appropriate valuation now, in view of what has occurred? Has there been any engagement with any other State authority about the use of that facility? Is any income being generated from those lands at this stage? What does the Department plan to do to deal with this? It is a...

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 to the Irish Prison Service and compensation claims. My understanding is with in-cell sanitation claims, €3.1 million was paid in 2020. In 2020 there were 2,399 cases in total of compensation claims pending against the Department, with 1,855 of those relating to in-cell sanitation. What is the up-to-date position on that? What is the timeframe for trying to resolve all...

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: In 2020, €3.1 million was paid. Does Ms McCaffrey have the figures for 2021?

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: My understanding is that in 2020, there were 2,399 cases pending, with 1,855 relating to in-cell sanitation. What were the other 544 cases mainly comprising and what progress has been made in resolving them?

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: Is there any outline of where processes need to be changed because of how the claims arose? Is there follow-up on how they are dealt with and have lessons been learned about how to reduce the level of claims?

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 to a final question.

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: The question relates to the hepatitis C treatment programme in prisons. My understanding is the hepatitis C treatment programme takes approximately 12 weeks. Is there a detailed programme in place in each of the prisons to provide that care to prisoners while they are in prison? It is a 12-week programme and if appointments are missed, the process could be delayed. What progress has been...

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: On the cost-effectiveness point, people can be dealt with in the prison rather than being transferred to hospital facilities. Has that process been put in place?

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 thank all of the staff in the Department of Justice and the Prison Service for their work over the past two years, in particular. It has been a very difficult time for everyone, given the role of the Garda, the Prison Service and the Department. I thank them for all the work that was done over that difficult period. On the issue of capital projects, Ms McPhillips referred to the...

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 return to the question I asked earlier about the hepatitis C treatment programme. My understanding is there was a particular issue with prisoners needing to be taken from Cork Prison to an outpatient clinic in Cork University Hospital for their care. I had understood it was proposed that all treatment would take place within prisons rather than having to incur the additional cost of...

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: That does not answer my question. Is treatment being provided now within the prison precincts?