Results 841-860 of 10,416 for speaker:Niamh Smyth

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: Moving on, thank you very much. I call Deputy Griffin.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: I welcome Deputy Ring as he is new to the committee and is replacing the new Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon. I know Deputy Ring has been thrown in at the deep end as this is his first meeting. I thank him for joining us today. If he has any questions, comments or observations, he can make them now.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: We move to a second round as some of my colleagues have further questions. We will begin with Senator Malcolm Byrne who has eight minutes.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: I have a few general questions and will begin with Mr. O'Rourke. How long have you been in the role?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: So, a relatively short period of around three months. Have you faced any resistance since taking up the role?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: Do you feel you have had an open book, particularly with the executive board?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: One has to be careful of that also.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: In terms of any questions or any interrogation that you feel you need to do around issues that arise, do you feel you are getting full answers and that there is no obfuscation?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: My reading when this all began was that the executive board members had a very siloed way of operating. They almost had themselves elevated above the board members. It was very clear to us that the board members were deceived in a lot of cases. They certainly were not being given information and a lot of that was intentional. That is my reading of it, based on the hearings we had. How...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: They are no longer the enemy.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: The interrogation is there now.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: Thank you. My next question is for you, Ms Howard. Obviously, you were at some of our hearings when all of this started. Mr. O'Rourke has expressed his view. I appreciate that Ms Howard has been a board member through the last phase of RTÉ, which had a non-relationship. As I mentioned, there was almost an effort to not give the information to disable the board from doing the job for...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: Perhaps it is not fair of me to ask my question.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: I am so used to seeing Ms Howard that I feel like she has been a board member for longer. My apologies.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: It is nice to have Mr. Shortt here and I again congratulate him on being appointed to his new role. When he came in here at the very beginning, when the crisis emerged, he struck me as being very angry and he appeared to be somebody who definitely and absolutely felt deceived by the carry-on at an executive level, as opposed to at a board level. Does his new role mean he is no longer a...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: Can he speak about the new working relationship, and how we must depend on what we hear at committee hearings that there is transparency, and that there is a clear understanding, at an executive level, that they are accountable to the board and that they are giving the information to the board to enable the board to do its work?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: Do any of our guests wish to make a closing comment or give an assurance?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: As there are no further questions, that concludes our business with our guests. I thank all our guests for their attendance. We appreciate their willingness to share their thoughts and experience. Again, I wish Mr. O'Rourke the very best of luck in his new and important role. The country depends on him in terms of our public broadcaster because we want to see it grow and have a very...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: Great and thank you very much. As Standing Orders provide, this committee has the power to require the chairperson designate of a body or agency, under the aegis of its line Department, to attend before the committee to discuss his or her strategic priorities for the role. Today's meeting will be considered to have discharged that requirement. Is that agreed? Agreed. That concludes...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (12 Jun 2024)

Niamh Smyth: 43. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to review a passport application and expedite same (details supplied); and if he will provide an update on the matter. [25662/24]