Results 1,161-1,180 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Does the Department have any information on this issue?

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: That is covered by the transport management charge.

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I was asking about the full cost of the claims.

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Those costs are fully covered by the Department, including engineers' fees, doctors' fees and whatever else is needed. It is managed by CIÉ. Does CIÉ fight the case and hire its own solicitors and barristers or does the State Claims Agency have any role in that regard?

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: How many of the claims are settled out of court and how many go to court?

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: If one is not responsible for the costs of a claim, one may not fight it as vigorously as would be the case if one were picking up the bill. It is my understanding the Department has no role in the claims even though it foots the bill.

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Does Mr. McCarthy examine whether we are getting value for money in that regard? Is that within his remit?

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Mr. McCarthy examines the accounts of the Department and would be aware of the headline figure. Is that what is presented by the Department?

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I ask that we be provided with a breakdown of the types of claims, if possible. How many relate to accidents on buses or involving third parties? The Department should give consideration to that because it does not know how vigorously claims for which it is picking up the tab are being contested. That information might be of interest to the Department.

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I acknowledge that. I do not suggest that Bus Éireann would take a passive approach to contesting claims but if it is not picking up the tab, these things could happen subconsciously. It would be a good exercise to compare these cases against others that are taken against the company in circumstances where it is footing the bill. That might be an interesting analysis. It was...

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Has the number of private contractors increased along with the increase in the total number of vehicles?

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is there a reason for that? Does Bus Éireann not have sufficient vehicles or does it relate to the size or type of vehicles needed? Is it due to the required increase in the taxi service?

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Bus Éireann school bus drivers are not being replaced on retirement. Rather, the services are subcontracted to the private sector.

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is there a figure for the annual cost of those drivers' pensions? Some €3 million for future pensions for school bus drivers was set aside against the surplus. What does that €3 million cover? Does it cover the next five years or ten years? How many drivers does it cover?

Public Accounts Committee: Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report 98: Provision of School Transport (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: That is all recouped. The Department picks up that tab.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadcast Advertising Standards Regulation (13 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: 180. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way in which State advertising is regulated in view of the disbanding of the strategic communications unit; the mechanisms and criteria used in selecting publications for same; the body charged with monitoring State and political advertising; and his plans to introduce regulation of political online advertising....

Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (12 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: As my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty said, we debated this legislation six years ago when we introduced similar legislation to introduce interest rate restrictions. At the time the Government turned down the legislation. I remember contributing to that debate at the time. One of the reasons the Government gave was the need to get more information on the consequences of bringing in an...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Health Budget and Expenditure Management: Discussion (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is it likely that we will need another Supplementary Estimate this year?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Health Budget and Expenditure Management: Discussion (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: How hopeful?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Health Budget and Expenditure Management: Discussion (11 Dec 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: We got a breakdown of the Supplementary Estimate and where it is being spent. Most of it is going to the HSE regions and other health agencies. The breakdown was pretty detailed. It states that this was not to fund any additional activity but to maintain current levels. If this is the case, if any of the additional allocation is due to an increase in unexpected demand, what performance...