Results 10,841-10,860 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I have reflected further since the Deputy made this point previously. The effect of amendment No. 15 would be to remove section 16(2)(a) which states the requirement to protect the identity of the maker of the disclosure set out in section 16(1) does not apply if "the person to whom the protected disclosure was made or referred reasonably believes that the person by whom the protected...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Correct
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: One does not want to have a situation where one can be precluded from taking action. Because it might suit them not to take action, they could say they cannot do it because it would disclose information.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: If the Deputy wishes to discuss it with my officials, I will happily arrange this, too.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I raised this point previously with the Deputy. Everything is covered by the Bill and nothing is excluded. It is just that because of the sensitive nature of this small subset of information, there is a unique channel for this, although I suppose that is a word I have to be careful of nowadays, as a disclosure recipient. There is no difficulty with whistleblowing, but one just cannot blow...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: There are two questions there and I will answer the second one first, in the affirmative. I have said that the new insertion into the 2005 Act is crafted to be in tandem and consistent with the Bill as drafted, which is why it is drafted in that way. It is our intention - there was a formal Government decision on this - to make GSOC the recipient of complaints or disclosures. If I can...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I do not have it in front of me, no.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Deputy Fleming has it in front of him.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: It is available online.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I will check that out.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: We use the term "public interest" often but I do not think I have ever seen it defined in legislation, either British or Irish, because it is very hard to nail down what we mean by it. However, we do know what the concept means. In essence, we want to have a robust, investigative body. I must be careful in what I say but I do not think we can be confident at this very minute that we have...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: We will have a go at finding that.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No.11: In page 13, line 10, to delete “or (e)”.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I was unclear as to exactly what the Deputy was trying to achieve with this amendment but I am now clearer as to her intention. It would be very difficult to do what the Deputy has talked about. An employee has clear rights and protections in terms of employment when he or she is in situ, anchored in the workplace. In section 13, subsection (3), the word "detriment" is defined and includes...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No. 13: In page 14, line 14, after “Schedule 2,” to insert “or”.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I move amendment No. 14: In page 14, lines 16 to 18, to delete all words from and including “2004, or” in line 16 down to and including “2005.” in line 18 and substitute “2004.”.Amendment agreed to.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: It might be stand out like a sore thumb for the rest of it, but-----
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: So be it.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Some of the Deputy's colleagues would not be too keen on his amendment because it would rule out whistleblowers going directly to him or to some of his colleagues.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I can do that.