Results 121-140 of 332 for speaker:Shay Brennan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: If that is the intention, of course-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Of course. If another opportunity arises, I will probably ask what other clauses or items should be included if we want to think that way. If we have another round, I can come back to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: I appreciate that. When he says it could raise a problem, is that something ancillary and not the main point worry about here?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: With the rapid advancement of commercial drone technology, Ireland is witnessing increasing interest from companies seeking to launch drone delivery services. I note in particular a proposed operation in Dundrum which has generated significant public attention and raised questions about the adequacy of our current regulatory framework. Given concerns around safety, privacy, noise and the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: I want to stick specifically to the figures in Vote 13. I have a number of quick questions. I do not think we need to go into too much detail on most of these. I will get quick responses and we can do it one by one. The first one is travel and subsistence. That seems to be a considerably higher figure than other Departments, particularly when taken as a percentage of salaries, wages and...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Digital and capital investment and IT expenses seem reasonably high as well. There is an €11.7 million Estimate for 2025 compared with €10 million for 2024. Is that an IT project to run the Department or does that refer to IT projects relating to exhibits and OPW works?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Sure, no problem. Under A5, there is a figure of €1.98 billion. It is cumulative financial damages avoided by completion of major flood relief schemes. I have two questions on that. When is it cumulative from? Is that 1997, as per the note on the previous point? Will the Minister of State confirm that? How is that measured, given that it is damage avoided?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: How do we measure what the damage might have been?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: The cumulative figure is close to €2 billion. Is that since 1997?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: A total of €1,000 is allotted for the EU Presidency. I cannot imagine-----

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Grand. B12 refers to one major project, a data centre investment. This is EU funding. What is that data centre?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: What is it for?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Okay, great. I have two further questions, very quickly. There were 15 million visitors, which is an astonishing figure. Does the Minister of State have a breakdown as to how many of those were tourists, specifically international tourists, as opposed to locals?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Maybe we could get it in time.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Perfect. As regards upgrading works for people with disabilities, the Department has a target figure. In 2024, the target figure was 36. The Minister of State probably does not have the outturn on that yet, but does he have any indication as to how we are getting on compared with that target?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: The OPW seems to be pressing ahead with a national children's science centre costing between €70 million and €100 million, despite the existence of a near duplicate facility in Sandyford, which is just 10 km away from the site of the proposed new centre. I am sure the Minister of State is familiar with Explorium, a world-class and fully operational science centre which has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: It is such a major spend and a major project that it is unlikely that someone among the seven witnesses present does not have some details on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Does that mean I cannot proceed with this line of questioning?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025.
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: It is a placeholder for now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: I commend the Senator and her team on their persistence over the last seven years. We are hopefully in the final stretch. I am hopeful that we get this across the line with both goods and services. On that, I want to turn to the Attorney General. Obviously we are awaiting an opinion from the Attorney General about how he would advise the Government to proceed with services. This question...