Results 10,001-10,020 of 26,465 for speaker:John McGuinness
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: Amendment No. 22 has already been discussed with amendment No. 20.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: Amendment No. 23 has already been discussed with amendment No. 1.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: Amendment No. 24 has already been discussed with amendment No. 1.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: There is freedom in place at the moment for Members to go to the Standards in Public Office Commission and seek advice and direction. This is being maintained. There is no issue with it. Is that correct?
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: Another matter arises. Representatives from the Standards in Public Office Commission come directly to Members. They have spoken in the audiovisual room and given advice generally on the Act and how people can be properly guided through the paperwork. This should be extended to everyone named in the Bill, including councillors. If others are to be included in the Bill, they should receive...
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: Amendments Nos. 25 to 30, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: Perhaps it is more the 14-day period that concerns Deputy D'Arcy?
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: Does the Minister consider that a declaration?
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: So the Deputy is okay, he is in the clear.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: That is a general absolution.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: There is a balance between those who are wilfully involved in something -----
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: -----and those who are conducting their business in a proper manner, which is the majority of people in public life. The overall Bill is to strike that balance between one and the other and, at the same time, not frighten people off, particularly those who are doing their business in the proper manner.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: Amendments Nos. 33, 38 to 41, inclusive, and 44 to 59, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: The investigation at that stage might only be a telephone call or a meeting with the member or the public official to ask if it is an error. There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for an omission.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: It is a huge departure, however, as the Minister has said. When it is related to local government and local councillors there is a large range of opportunities for the measures to cause trouble for public representatives who may be caught up innocently in some complaint. This is my difficulty with the proposed legislation.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: I accept the explanation on that. Let me outline what concerns me about all this investigation and so on. An investigation will happen because there is a disagreement, misunderstanding or complaint of one kind or another. As one reads down through all this, one notes it is stacked against the member because the member, be he or she a local politician or national politician, is up against...
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: That would be helpful. On the step from the preliminary report, the emphasis in the legislation is on the ultimate investigation. I am expressing my concern about the suspected contravention. Section 38, in reference to the powers of the deputy commissioner, states, "the purpose of the proceedings concerned that appear to him or her to be reasonable". If we are going in this direction, it...
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: That is reasonable.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: We will have to conclude on this section because we agreed earlier that we would finish at 1 p.m.
- Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)
John McGuinness: As it is now 1 p.m. I thank the Minister and his officials for attending. A request was made that the Members of the Dáil and Seanad and the representative bodies of the local public representatives be informed. Will that take place now?