Results 61-80 of 1,033,164 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan OR speaker:Catherine Murphy OR speaker:Marian Harkin) in 'Committee meetings'

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Could the legal row cost more than the amount that is collected?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: No, it certainly would not.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: We are talking about the 2022 accounts. It is now 2024, not that we should toast that fact. Note 2 in the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General states that at the end of 2022, the amount involved was €1.24 billion. Note 8 indicates further capital commitments of €217 million. We know that €40 million was allocated to get the board through that Christmas. Why...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: The committee deals with historical figures. When those historical figures have cobwebs on them, it makes matters way more difficult. This is particularly the case for this project because we could not determine whether or not it was going in the way it should have gone. We knew there was slippage all over the place. I will just say how unsatisfactory that was.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: On the contract, because tendering is a very expensive process, contractors will only engage if they think they have a fighting chance of winning. There may be a contractor, for example, that went in low and made up the balance in claims. If that was the profile of how a contractor was conducting things, is that considered in the context of tendering for further projects? Is there any...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Even when there is that profile, I just-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I know. There has to be an opportunity to challenge that. Mr. Quinn is talking about this tendering process being Europe-wide. If there is a significant flaw or a way that people can actually work or warp it to their advantage by the way they exploit loopholes or are very litigious, surely, that has to be challenged, even at European level. Have other countries looked at that? Is there...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I predict we are going to be repeating these mistakes, including in the building of the new national maternity hospital in the wrong place. While that is a completely different matter, when you look at the census of population and the demographics, babies are being born on the other side of the city, on the west side of Dublin and the M50, where the demographics suggest that a maternity...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: As the Cathaoirleach knows from his own constituency, there are young and growing populations.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: No.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: I second that.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: I thank the Chair and the Department. I wish to make a general comment first. This is the third hearing on this petition and it is important to say that petitioners can come to this House and have their cases heard. They can participate in some of the discussions and they can listen and have questions answered. As a general comment, it is useful to say that this a good example of ordinary...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: Is there any timeline for when the Department will go through the various stages? I am not asking for specific months, just an indication as to when the project will be completed or at least at the point of construction.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: I accept that, but “a length of time” could be six months or six years. Can Mr. Doocey narrow it down in any way?

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: On average.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: I thank Mr. Doocey.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: I thank Mr. Doocey for his response. He did say that when the rail review is published, all of the analyses underpinning the decisions will be available. I will be interested in looking at that and seeing what it says. Sometimes when looking at a sparsely populated region, or perhaps more sparsely populated than other parts of the country, an economic analysis often does not give enough...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: Does Mr. Doocey know the distance of the Athenry to Claremorris section off the top of his head?

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: It would just give us a ballpark comparison. Mr. Doocey mentioned €600 million-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (30 May 2024)

Marian Harkin: It is just to give us a sense of it. Ultimately, value for money does matter, whether you are building a greenway or a railway, and we have to look to the future and at what we spend now. I would not approach this with my eyes closed and opt for A while neglecting B. That is the reason I am asking the question.