Results 6,341-6,360 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Estimates for Public Services 2022: Messages from Select Committees (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: The Select Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimates for public services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2023: Votes 25 and 40. The Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimate for public services for the...

Mortgage Interest Relief Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: In accordance with Standing Order 80(2), the division is deferred until the next weekly division time.

Estimates for Public Services 2023: Messages from Select Committees (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: The Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimate for public services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2023: Vote 33. The Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimates for public services for the...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Collins - to discuss the loss of beds in the mental health unit in Bantry General Hospital. Deputy Pauline Tully - to discuss reports that the State denied disability allowance to up to 12,000 vulnerable people. Deputy...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: My apologies for ducking in because I have to duck out again to sit in another Chair. This comment is not apropos of anything that has taken place at this meeting but the issue was brought to my attention recently. We spend a lot of time talking about retention of staff in various places. We spend a lot of time retaining staff in the health services and the teaching services. In almost...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome the Minister and the Minister of State and congratulate them on their new roles. I have a few questions for them. Public procurement is a very important issue at present. There are many obstacles, some perceived and some real, that have dogged delivery in public procurement over many years. What can the Minister or Minister of State tell us at this stage about the way in which...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister of State. May I explore the matter further? Complaints I have received over the years have mostly been from small traders who wanted to tender for the provision of goods or services. Some found it very difficult. I could never understand how it could be difficult if the procedure was followed exactly. Will there be particular emphasis on the need to ensure...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: The most important point is that the tenderer is satisfied that his or her tender is examined adequately. One cannot qualify or should not qualify a tender, even though attempts have been made to do that from time to time. I will not tell the Chair the anecdotal evidence circulating but I dealt with a lot of it in times gone by. I am referring, in particular, to cases where people said...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: They are happy enough if they are satisfied that due process has prevailed. It is important that they, in addition to the Government, have confidence in the system.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Given recent developments, how will retrospective legislation make progress on or inhibit Government policy and budgetary processes, for example? We produce a budget every year, and five years later we have to introduce something we should have introduced before. On what basis can this be done? Is it legal? If the Government does not adhere to the budget, it has a problem. If it fails to...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Is there any danger that a trade-off may set a precedent for future deliberations?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I have a couple of other questions, but I will ask one final question on this subject. In the context of building faults that emerge after the event and it falls to the Government to us Exchequer funding to remedy them, apropos of nothing but apropos of everything, I am interested in those that did not have faults, those whose construction was in keeping with the best possible standards and...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Is it possible in its present format for the State Laboratory to expand its operation to deal directly with the various questions raised either from hospital analysis or from other sources, such as animal analysis? Are those laboratories sufficiently alert and do they have sufficient capacity, expertise and equipment to be able to deal with almost any source, or do we still have to export...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Is it possible to expand their services to cover more of the requirements arising from the health sector and hospitals in regard to either new or existing diseases or the analysis of various requests that come before the health services? Is it possible for the national laboratories to expand their services to deal with those, rather than having to send them abroad?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I am going through the Votes.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I have to ask about the secret service. How secret is the secret service in this country and do we get good value for money there? I expect we do.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Of course, I respect it. I will invite my colleagues to come back in.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Chair, can I ask another question?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Bernard Durkan: It will only take a minute. It is my favourite subject.