Results 541-560 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: There are 800 in total.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: Several centres closed recently . Will the Department provide details as to why they did so? Was it just a case that the contracts were up or that they were not suitable? There was a centre in Dublin 2 with a capacity of 33 which closed in 2017. There was another in Limerick with a capacity of 90 which also closed in 2017. Another centre in Dublin 2 with a capacity of 110 closed in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: In the latter case, would the contractor have to wait to the end of the lease or can they break it?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: I accept that several centres have opened at the same time. It is my understanding, however, that no new self-catering centres have been opened. I stand open to correction in that regard. There was also the closure of a self-catering centre in February last year.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is it policy that there would be a 10% buffer between capacity and occupancy? From my understanding of the figures presented to the committee by the Department, not one of the centres meets this criterion. In fact, some centres are operating at 100% capacity. The lowest capacity I could find is in the HSE southern area at 94%.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: I assume that the objective is not to reach 100% capacity because one would need a certain amount for emergencies, such as dealing with health or fire safety concerns. The target is to be operating at 90% capacity but it is currently at 97%. Will the new centres that will be brought on-stream bring down this figure or will it remain in excess of 90%?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is there any criterion for where the centres are located taking into account population figures? The monthly report provided to the committee for October refers to how many centres are in each location and the occupancy rate as a percentage of the overall population of the area? Is there a criterion that we should not exceed a certain percentage or is it just for information purposes?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: One of the regular complaints I receive is that if somebody has a grievance or a complaint regarding the management of a centre, he or she must go through a particular process before he or she can approach the Ombudsman. It is my understanding that the first step in that process is to actually forward the complaint to the agency or private company which is running the centre? Will the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: The most recent data I could get my hands on for referrals to the Child and Family Agency dates all the way back to 2014. I do not know if there are more up-to-date data but, if there are, perhaps the Department could provide them to the committee and to me. There was huge variation in the percentage of referrals of children within direct provision centres compared with children outside of...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (4 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: Some 14% of children living in direct provision are being referred whereas the corresponding figure for children not living in direct provision centres is 1.6%, so we can see there is a huge variation. With regard to the types of referrals and whether they would reach the threshold for an initial assessment to be done, in direct provision centres the figure stands at 85% and outside direct...

Ráiteas faoi Eolas do Vótálaithe: Tairiscint - Statement for Information of Voters: Motion (3 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: I know this motion is to be taken without debate but in fairness the Minister responsible should be allowed to speak on it.

An Bille um an gCúigiú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Colscaradh) 2016: An Tuarascáil agus an Chéim Dheiridh [Comhaltaí Príobháideacha] - Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Divorce) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages [Private Members] (3 Apr 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: Sinn Féin supports the Bill and will not oppose any of the amendments. I wish to address the point raised by Deputy Donnelly which I also intended to raise. I am sure all Members are aware of marriages which, unfortunately, have broken down with no prospect of reconciliation, but for financial reasons the couple are unable to live apart. I do not know if that can be addressed in the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (28 Mar 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: It is up to the HSE; it is its report.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (28 Mar 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: Provided the HSE release it to us.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (28 Mar 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: It is a HSE report.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (28 Mar 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: There is no harm in writing to the HSE telling it that we expect to get a copy of the report shortly after 5 April.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Surplus (Reserve Fund for Exceptional Contingencies) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (28 Mar 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: We have a number of amendments.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Surplus (Reserve Fund for Exceptional Contingencies) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (28 Mar 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, to delete lines 25 to 29. These amendments are reasonably self-explanatory. One concerns the reasons why money could be put into the fund and another is to remove the provision that would see the €500 million transferred annually from 2019 to 2023. We are doing this because later in the legislation, there are certain limitations on how money can...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Surplus (Reserve Fund for Exceptional Contingencies) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (28 Mar 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: It is one of the uses.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Surplus (Reserve Fund for Exceptional Contingencies) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (28 Mar 2019)

Jonathan O'Brien: We submitted to the Department a number of freedom of information requests for the briefing documents provided to the Minister. In one of those documents, a question was posed as to whether any situation was envisaged in which the rainy day fund would be used to bail out a bank or other financial institution. The answer was that, while the Minister did not expect the rainy day fund to be...