Results 11,001-11,020 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: May I answer the question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: This is a complex issue on which we got a letter from the committee this morning to come in and talk, so the Deputy will appreciate that we do not have detailed notes on ventilation systems. It is not what we were asked to come to the committee for. We got a letter this morning to ask if we would answer questions on the national children's hospital. I would be more than happy, Chair, with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: That is exactly the language I just used.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Deputy made a definitive statement repeatedly that stop orders have been issued. The assistant secretary has stated repeatedly that, to the best of his knowledge, no such stop orders have issued. I am just giving that as one example. I am happy to be corrected if the record shows he did not say this but I think I also heard the Deputy say that the warnings provided by the subcontractor...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I am sorry about that, Chair.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I would be very happy to do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I am sorry-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I am sorry. I beg the Deputy's pardon.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Deputy is ignoring all the positive things Deputy Durkan said. I thank the Deputy for his questions. In response to Deputy Durkan's questions, I will start with whether any money was lost or spent on this proposed secondment. The answer is "No". It was a proposal that never happened. I imagine we all agree, and I would not for a moment dream of speaking on behalf of any committee...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Cathaoirleach. While I would not-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: All I can say is the details have been gone over with a fine-tooth comb in two reports and at numerous committee meetings. Having looked back on it, and I know the people involved and have gone over it in great detail, I have absolutely no doubt that, notwithstanding mistakes that were made, everybody was trying to act in the right way to do the right thing. I absolutely believe that. I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I refer to the positivity. We have spoken about what was lost. I believe the CMO's experience and leadership was lost. I have asked the Department to invite members of the committee to the site. It really is worth doing for any of us who have spent time in hospitals around the country and particularly the children's hospitals. It is an extraordinary piece of health infrastructure. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I am sorry the Deputy is going. It is a matter of record that this is costing more money than was originally budgeted. I am not, nor is the Government, suggesting for a moment that the hospital will come in at the initial cost floated, which Deputy Doherty mentioned. It is already on the record that the currently agreed number is significantly above that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: My advice is that look has been done. PwC, for example, in 2019 did a very thorough audit as to what the drivers of that were. We may have discussed that previously. At the time, I was on the Joint Committee on Health and we discussed it in great detail. I am open to correction but I understand the drivers we all talked about in the last Government that brought us up to the €1.4...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I believe they have been managed. One of the things I was asked to do was to sanction additional resources for the board to have people on site to challenge the claims that were coming in from the contractor. We now have this large sum which Deputies Tóibín and Doherty mentioned which is under dispute. The PwC report found that they needed additional resources to challenge the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The claims are still coming, yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Deputy says "met".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I do not believe they are. Most of it - maybe all - is under dispute. I will ask Mr. Tierney to give some details.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Secondment: Minister for Health (22 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I reiterate what has been said and I imagine the Deputy shares the position. The development board is acting on our behalf and it is saying €12 million or zero and that is its only position. It is not speculating as to what may or may not be agreed through the courts or the dispute resolution mechanisms. This is what I was alluding to about speculation. It is important our position...