Results 6,201-6,220 of 26,465 for speaker:John McGuinness

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Law Reform Commission Report on Regulatory Powers and Corporate Offences: Engagement (26 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: I welcome Ms Justice Mary Laffoy and her colleagues to the committee. The meeting will deal with the issue of accountability in banking. Before we go into the meeting proper, I advise the witnesses that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. However, if directed by the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Law Reform Commission Report on Regulatory Powers and Corporate Offences: Engagement (26 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: It is fair to say that most people in this House turn to professionals about the law because it is intricate, complex and relies on all sorts of older law to define the newer laws and vice versa. In our work on this committee, we often come face to face with the failure of that law and we wonder why and how we can improve the law that we have. The work of the commission is very important...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Law Reform Commission Report on Regulatory Powers and Corporate Offences: Engagement (26 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: Does Mr. Byrne think that is, in itself, an outdated method of doing business whereby the commission is given a remit which it may feel is not wide enough to allow it to do what is necessary in the face of all of this carry-on? Can the commission suggest to the Minister, committee or whoever is proposing a body of work that another issue should be included as well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Law Reform Commission Report on Regulatory Powers and Corporate Offences: Engagement (26 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: I wish to make a further point about how the law works in the work of Parliament and public representatives. We should not be afraid to go there. I accept the separation of powers, but if we cannot exchange views between one another on how powers might be operated better for the people whom we represent, how can we make the law better? I do not mean exchanging views in an open public forum...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Law Reform Commission Report on Regulatory Powers and Corporate Offences: Engagement (26 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: Perhaps the better step would be to protect the whistleblower to a far greater extent.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Law Reform Commission Report on Regulatory Powers and Corporate Offences: Engagement (26 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: I thank the witnesses for their attendance.

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Staff Data (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: 217. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of conservation rangers employed in counties Carlow and Kilkenny; if there are vacant positions; if so, the length of time each position has been vacant; if vacancies for conservation rangers can be filled by employees who wish to transfer from Inland Fisheries Ireland; if there is a list of those wishing to transfer;...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and his officials. An issue has arisen in relation to today's meeting and to the business of the committee. It arises from an invitation sent by the committee. It was the unanimous view that the Secretary General should appear before the committee. We sent an invitation and set out a number of dates that would be convenient for members. There...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: I am just saying that Deputy Pearse Doherty made the proposal. We are discussing that proposal now. Deputy Deasy did not agree with it. I did not want to suggest that.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: It was the matter of Deputy Pearse Doherty's letter. The Deputy's proposal is that Mr. Watt would come, that we would get a date and that hopefully it would be in the next week or so. I think that is being fair to Mr. Watt. He already knows this. The Minister is an ex officiomember on the select committee. We would like to hear the Minister's views on it unless Deputy Pearse Doherty wants...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: I support that. It is up to Deputies Michael McGrath and Burton as to whether they wish to contribute now or wait until after the Minister does.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: I find it unacceptable that committees are being put into a predicament. For example, this letter from Mr. Watt requires me to confirm with the other chairs of the other committees. I have the greatest respect for the committees of this House and the Committee of Public Accounts, of which I was previously Chairman, and they have a role to play. This committee is the one that the Minister's...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: Wait one second, please.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: I am acting on a decision that was taken by all members of the committee and I want to do the Estimates and I do not want to hold it up. Is there some common ground or space that we could agree with the committee members, even if we do not get an answer in that time? We did not create this problem.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: Deputy Deasy will see from the correspondence that the Secretary General has stated clearly: You will be aware from a letter to the chairman of the committee of public accounts that I have already stated that I wish to be helpful in terms of setting out the role of my Department in relation to general expenditure. If your view is that the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: What is the Deputy asking?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: As this arises out of Deputy Pearse Doherty's letter, can I suggest to him that we consider the possibility of continuing with the meeting on the basis that the Minister will intervene and that we have aired his concern fully and frankly this morning?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: We will go into private session to deal with the matter. Before doing so, I would like to address a remark made by Deputy Deasy because it is on the public record. I am not playing games on this issue and neither am I playing politics with it. I want to be absolutely clear about that. What Deputy Deasy may not understand or have knowledge of is that in regard to the date for the proposed...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: I am making it clear to the Deputy that this is not a game. Mr. Watt is playing games. That is how I view it. I will not let him play games with an Oireachtas committee. The matter has been raised this morning arising from a letter that Deputy Pearse Doherty wrote to all of us and to the clerk. It is my job to clarify the position and to work with members and the Minister and his...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Select Committee (21 Feb 2019)

John McGuinness: If Deputy Deasy reads his correspondence, he will have to appreciate the fact that this committee made every effort honestly to deal with this matter.