Results 1,181-1,200 of 26,831 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Absolutely. Mr. Dorgan mentioned comparisons being made between direct procurement and a PPP. There is only a limited amount of construction capacity out there. That means even if we get some foreign company to build schools or houses, it will still be relying on the labour capacity we have in the country, by and large. Is that not true?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I take that point. I am just wondering whether, to Mr. Dorgan's knowledge, there has been any examination of what might it look like if the State did it directly and employed architects, engineers, construction workers, tradespeople, and so on and did so at scale. How might that compare with either the direct procurement model or a PPP model? Is that even being looked at or considered? Is...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: It has not looked at it.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: That is okay.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: With due respect to the Leas-Chathaoirleach, I believe we should look at it because there are swings and roundabouts. I realise that is probably not Mr. Dorgan's decision. He has answered the question to say it is not really being looked at it. There are swings and roundabouts. While there are overhead costs, look at the time it takes to get procurement done. It is a flipping nightmare....
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: With respect, I did not ask the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I am asking the Department.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I am asking the witnesses. It is my time.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: The IGEES report on this is not an economic theory; it is a Government document.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Indeed. That is why I am sort of baffled as to why we would go for the PPP model at all, precisely because there is limited capacity. We need to increase the capacity. We are all relying on the same capacity unless we increase the capacity.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: That brings me to my next question. One of the things that brought all of this very much into public view was when Carillion collapsed while it had the PPP deal for building six schools in Wicklow, Wexford, Tipperary and others. What is the evaluation of all that now, because it is obviously a clear risk? We got a contractor which then collapsed because of its connection with a bigger...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Does Mr. Dorgan know who did the maintenance afterwards, because there was a question mark?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: No. I want to ask about the profit margin in all these things. How is that worked out? These private operators come in to make money. They are not doing it out of beneficence, or whatever the expression is. How do we work out the profit margin with them? Is there a standard profit margin?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Okay, but the actual profit margin they make must be looked at and we cannot find that out until way afterwards. Is that right? It is essentially because of commercial sensitivity. It is a long time afterwards when we figure out how much profit was made.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Are there any safeguards if they decide at a certain point it has not worked out profitably for them?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: All right. I thank the officials.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Well, it is not agreed.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: It is an interesting perspective, a Leas-Chathaoirligh.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Likewise, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, I am very fond of him but I do not agree with him.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: That is an interesting perspective.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Private Partnerships: Discussion (19 Jun 2024)
Richard Boyd Barrett: May I ask another question?