Results 9,521-9,540 of 10,862 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: The Department believes it is providing a service to Hozier when he puts up a Tweet on direct provision and the Department indulges him by ensuring that officials read it. The official is an executive officer.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: It is someone at EO grade. This is someone who, I presume, climbed all the way up the ranks from clerical officer grade. The person is congratulated for reaching EO level and is then asked to look at Twitter and find out what people are saying about direct provision. What else does media monitoring work entail?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: I do not know if it is, actually. I am not aware of any other Department that monitors a particular issue where there is political commentary in respect of the actions of a Minister per se in this area of policy. Are there other areas where there are specific social media reports conducted by the Department? Are there reports in a written format that could be secured under the freedom of...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: Did Ms McPhillips compile a report on that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: Is there a written report on that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: Ms McPhillips is asserting this is simply part of general media monitoring as such. Is that the case?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: I find it strange because the Department does not need Twitter to tell officials the views of many people in respect of the direct provision system. They have heard the views at numerous committees in the House and from the floor of the Dáil. There is a well-established public position relating to the utilisation of private companies to provide accommodation to the most vulnerable...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: Then why did the Department pay €32,000 up to August this year on a private company to monitor the media?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: The Department of Justice spent substantially more than most other Departments on that service.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 24 - Justice and Equality (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: The Vice Chairman will confirm that parliamentary questions she and I submitted across all Departments showed that the Department of Justice is among the highest in respect of expenditure by Departments on media monitoring.

Social Welfare Bill 2020: Second Stage (9 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: In many respects, the Bill before the House is a vindication for those people who went to the bother of casting their votes in February. Many people were despondent at the refusal of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to recognise the huge mandate for change. One of the dominant issues of that election campaign, as we know now, was the stated, much vaunted and defended intention of Fianna...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agricultural Colleges (8 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: The Minister did not answer my question on those students who will not receive supports under the package that has been announced. We need to have a holistic view of agricultural education. At present, there are disparities. It is not that there are too many agencies involved, it is that they do not appear to be working together. The Minister for Education has simply dismissed concerns of...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agricultural Colleges (8 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: Deputy Funchion is unable to be here to take this question. The Minister knows that if farming is to have a future, then we need to have a strong and robust agricultural education sector. Teagasc colleges and other such outlets provide an important output to train our next generation of farmers to meet the challenges they will face. They need to get the same support as all other...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agricultural Colleges (8 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: I also commend Macra na Feirme for highlighting this issue and ensuring it would not go away. The Minister knows I am an incredibly positive person and always welcome positive developments. I did so last week when it was announced that additional supports would be made available. I actually commended the Minister on his role in that. I expected he would play some role in the funding of...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health and Safety Inspections (8 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: I thank the Acting Chairman, Deputy Farrell, for the latitude he has extended to us and commend Deputy Martin Browne on tabling this question. The Minister will know my views. The fact that responses to requests for freedom of information are being so heavily redacted sends out all the wrong signals. These are matters that should not embarrass anybody. Certainly, the factories should...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (8 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: 32. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has completed an assessment on the potential impact on the Irish agrifood sector of the EU-Mercosur trade deal. [41597/20]

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (8 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: When the Minister was on this side of the House, he joined our party in supporting a resolution that called for the then Government to reject the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. He did so for all the right reasons. The programme for Government rowed back on that and committed to a review of the deal. Anyone who has examined the agreement from an environmental or Irish agricultural viewpoint...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (8 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: I am disappointed by the Minister's response. He did not accept the exact same speech when it was read to him by his Fine Gael predecessor when he was in opposition. Last week, we learned that 11,088 sq. km of forest had been destroyed in Brazil between the start of August 2019 and the end of July 2020 to make way for beef ranches. That beef is being produced at a very low cost because of...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (8 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: The Minister knows what the outcome of the report will be, namely, that the deal will be a bad one for Ireland. He also knows what the deal's benefits are. They accrue to the German car manufacturing sector. That is why the Irish Government will not stand up and say that the deal needs to be rejected. I believe the Government's position is that environmental concerns primarily will lead...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (8 Dec 2020)

Matt Carthy: So was Fianna Fáil when it was in opposition.