Results 7,581-7,600 of 35,563 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I understand.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Okay. There was an arranged meeting that was entered into both of your diaries. I am sure both of you arranged a time to discuss Dr. Holohan's future intentions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: At that meeting, what did he indicate to you?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Absolutely and I am only focusing on the process in terms of the secondment. At that point, he was indicating to you that he was looking at other options beyond CMO. Would that be correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: In the briefing or report that Mr. Robert Watt furnished to the Minister, he states the following: This followed on from initial discussions I had with the CMO in August 2021 regarding his future work plans. This involved the Secretary of the Government and myself, as Secretary General of the Department of Health. I find it hard not to read from that the suggestion that the three of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Absolutely. I can understand that at that time and I understand the motivation behind that, in terms of seeing where people are at, but we are just trying to get to the facts. One of the parties will not come before this committee to answer these questions so we are trying to work on the basis of your recollection. Would there potentially have been a second meeting, a three-way meeting or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: The Secretary General of the Department of Health, Mr. Robert Watt, indicates that there was a three-way meeting and he suggests that it was in August 2021. Let me take you forward-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Okay, those telephone conversations are not in your opening statement or in Mr. Robert Watt's statement----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Let my clarify this. If you are suggesting that what is referred to in Mr. Robert Watt's statement was not a three-way meeting but may have been a telephone conversation that you had with him afterwards, at that time, then that is not referred to in your opening statement and neither is it referred to in Mr. Watt's submission to the Minister for Health.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Let me take you to the next point but details matter here, let us be clear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Following on from Mr. Watt's suggestion that this "involved the Secretary of the Government and myself as Secretary General of the Department of Health", he says that the CMO "indicated that he wished to consider his future options including potential academic and international roles.". Mr. Watt goes on to say that both "the Secretary to the Government and I indicated our strong support to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Okay. Your opening statement-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Your opening statement gives the impression that the first contact you had with Mr. Robert Watt in relation to this secondment was after Dr. Holohan contacted you in late February and then in early March, you contacted Mr. Robert Watt to ask him if he was dealing with this issue. Are you now telling us that you had a telephone conversation with Mr. Watt following your meeting with Dr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Okay, what are you telling us?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Yes I understand that, but are you telling the committee now that you did discuss the fact that Dr. Holohan wanted to move on to academia, outside of the Department of Health-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Sorry, if you read the line before that, it says that the "CMO indicated that he wished to consider his future options including potential academic and international roles." It goes on to say: "Both the Secretary to the Government and I indicated our strong support to facilitate and help where possible." I want to know how Mr. Robert Watt knew what you told Dr. Tony Holohan. Did you phone...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I am not suggesting-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I am not suggesting that you discussed secondment at that early stage. From what we are learning here what I will say is that the opening statement, which is the letter sent to the committee, does not include all of the details. What Mr. Fraser says, to paraphrase his opening statement, is that he had confidential conversations with the Chief Medical Officer at an early stage last year....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: This is the point. The Secretary General, who refuses to come before the committee, makes it very clear that Mr. Fraser was aware perhaps not of the complete details but much of the information at an earlier stage. Therefore, both statements are, in a way, conflicting. We are trying to get as much information here as we possibly can.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Proposed Appointment to University Research Post: Department of the Taoiseach (27 Apr 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Let us go to February. What happened in February? Will Mr. Fraser explain the form of this conversation in February? Was it a meeting? Was it a telephone conversation? What did the Chief Medical Officer say to Mr. Fraser at that point?