Results 11,041-11,060 of 26,493 for speaker:John McGuinness

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: And votes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: I want to go back to a point raised by Senators Horkan and Conway-Walsh on the insurance industry. Insurance Ireland tells us it holds a significant amount of information on the industry, which is available. Is it within the remit of the CSO to conduct a survey on issues relative to motor insurance, including the reasons for the hike and the type of claims being made, including the 70% on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: What gives the CSO the right to take the transport sector, write to everyone involved in transport and ask them to fill in the information?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: The CSO feels it might not have that order regarding the insurance industry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: If that order were in place, it would enable the CSO to engage with brokers, insurance companies and insurance houses. It would be able to do all of this and collect the data that would give us the information on the claims settled by going to court, without going to court and so on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: The regulator in this case is the Central Bank, and it does not have the information. We have not been able to extract the information from all of the players who came before the committee to discuss insurance. The hard data that are required to influence policy on this or to be able to put information out into the public domain for those who might want to enter the market to analyse, are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: That is the point I am making. We are told there are databases in the control of Insurance Ireland that would be helpful to the ministerial group of which the Central Statistics Office is part and this committee. The Central Statistics Office, as a reputable organisation, is the appropriate body to carry out such an analysis which should be general. The questionnaires sent to businesses are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: Ultimately, the CSO cannot do it because it is not within its remit to do so. Is that the position?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: That answers one question. The CSO has indicated that it is trying to eliminate the burden of red tape its questionnaires impose on the small and medium enterprise sector. This means that companies with fewer than ten employees do not receive a questionnaire. I have seen the questionnaires sent to companies and assisted some companies in completing them. The way in which questions are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: In that case, it is a lost cause.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: In the context of Mr. Dalton's point about the European Union, the issue is that one size does not fit all. Now that I know that a questionnaire is compiled by someone in Europe, I can at least understand the reason the questions are difficult to answer for many small and medium enterprises. The difficulty is twofold because, first, completing the questionnaires imposes an unfair burden on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: I was that soldier, as it were, and having filled in CSO questionnaires, I can tell the delegates that my responses were not always accurate, even if I did the best I could.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: I have three questions. First, I hope the new regulations will not mean the CSO will just become a collection agent for the Commission but will still retain its independent position domestically.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: Second, the organisation places a great emphasis on the census. Will that be affected in any way?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: But that will not affect the CSO's use of the data.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: Third, when the CSO collects all these data, can they be sold on or can they be made available to, say, a business?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: Anyone can pick it up.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: National Economic Output: Director General, Central Statistics Office (13 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: There are no further questions. I thank the officials very much. The committee has to decide on follow-up action on these proposals. Is it agreed to engage with the EU Commission to raise the CSO's concerns regarding the proposals, in particular, the methodology proposed to collect the data? Agreed.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Funding (11 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: 364. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide the funding to Dublin Dental University Hospital to enable the hospital provide the urgent care needed for a person (details supplied). [29270/16]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (11 Oct 2016)

John McGuinness: 420. To ask the Minister for Health the arrangements which were put in place by the SEHB and now the HSE to manage the affairs, financial and otherwise, of a person (details supplied); if a social worker was appointed in 1991; and if that arrangement can be continued. [29529/16]