Results 10,301-10,320 of 11,413 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: I thank our guests for a very informative opening statements and contributions. This is a mess that should not have arisen and needs to be addressed. I have some questions for the ILMA. There has been discussion on the role vets will be expected to play following the implementation of this regulation if it comes into place in 2022. How actively are vets involved in addressing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Can I just ask if, at this initial stage, the officials could clarify what the Government's position was when this regulation came before the Council? That would help to provide background.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Could I get an answer to the question I asked about the Irish position on the regulation at Council level?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Does Mr. Forde know what the Government's position was when this came before the Council? Did it support or oppose the regulation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: What was the Government's position on the EU regulation from 2019 that was agreed in 2018. That had to go before the Council and Parliament. Did the Government support it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: If Mr. Forde could do so, it would be good because serious questions are emerging and we do not have much time in the overall scheme of things. We are talking about people planning their businesses who must deal with stocks, sometimes orders and sometimes medical information. All of that is dealt with in matters of years as opposed to months so the longer there is confusion on these...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: The Department's representatives should sit down with European Commission officials and say that we intend to introduce a derogation in respect of this to facilitate the trade currently carried out by responsible persons. Those responsible persons have legislative standards to which they must adhere. It is not as if we are giving people a blank cheque. We intend to do that and we want to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Can I make a 30-second point?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Okay, I did not realise that. I thought all members had spoken.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products: Discussion (12 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: It goes back to the earlier point. Mr. Forde said the regulation does not allow for the derogation to be used. From my knowledge, the regulation was supported by the Irish Government. Mr. Forde needs to find out who in his Department advised an Irish Minister to sign off on that regulation and sack that person because he or she has created a complete mess. It is that serious.

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Second Stage (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: This Brexit omnibus Bill sets out in stark terms the challenges that face our country in trying to mitigate the impact of Brexit, particularly a no-deal or bad deal Brexit. In essence, this Bill is the lowest common denominator in terms of Brexit readiness. The truth is that we will be powerless in terms of many of the damaging aspects that will arise as a result of the British continuing...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 6 - Expenditure under a Maintenance Contract
2019 Appropriation Accounts
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: I welcome our guests and reiterate our appreciation and thanks to all OPW staff for their work, particularly during the Covid-19 period. It has not gone unnoticed. I seek a little information on the measured term maintenance contracts awarded to PJ Hegarty & Sons over a long period. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General deals with the period from 2015, but I understand...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 6 - Expenditure under a Maintenance Contract
2019 Appropriation Accounts
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Yes, and the costs. To clarify, we are dealing with the period from 2015, when the contract was first put in place and it was extended in 2018. Under the contract, minor construction works were allowed up to the value of €500,000, but six of the works, which range from €600,000 to €2.4 million, were clearly in excess of that. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 6 - Expenditure under a Maintenance Contract
2019 Appropriation Accounts
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: When the contract was originally tendered, it was envisaged that works of approximately €3 million per annum would take place. It amounted to about €12 million over the course of the contract but the figure was actually closer to €10 million per year, or €39.4 million in total.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 6 - Expenditure under a Maintenance Contract
2019 Appropriation Accounts
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: In 2019, partly because of Brexit, there was an additional €7.4 million. The total up to the end of last year was €46.8 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 6 - Expenditure under a Maintenance Contract
2019 Appropriation Accounts
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Has the OPW carried out an analysis of the initial four-year contract in respect of what it would cost if some or all of the works undertaken under this contract were undertaken in house? Has there been a cost-benefit crossover analysis?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 6 - Expenditure under a Maintenance Contract
2019 Appropriation Accounts
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Does Mr. Buckley mean 2013 or 2014?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 6 - Expenditure under a Maintenance Contract
2019 Appropriation Accounts
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: I apologise for cutting across Mr. Buckley but some of the basis for the approach was as a result - Mr. Buckley might correct me if I am wrong - of a circular issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in 2013. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 6 - Expenditure under a Maintenance Contract
2019 Appropriation Accounts
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Before Mr. McMahon comments, that circular stated, "The majority of works are procured via external contractors as OPW’s direct labour force has been significantly reduced and cannot fulfil the role for all property". It seems there was an acceptance within that that the austerity and staff reduction measures that had been put in place played a role in the outsourcing of these...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 6 - Expenditure under a Maintenance Contract
2019 Appropriation Accounts
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (11 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: We have determined that a contract that was envisaged to amount to about €12 million over the course of four years actually amounted to closer to €50 million over that period. More recently, in October 2018, a new tender was appreciated. The provisions the OPW put in place, that is, the guidelines for contracting companies, meant there was, in effect, only one qualifying...