Results 1,661-1,680 of 6,065 for speaker:Martin Conway
- Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Centres (10 May 2022)
Martin Conway: As always, the Minister of State is welcome. This issue has been ongoing since the Shannon Airport Authority decided that it no longer had a strategic interest in Shannon Heritage. The questions then were what would happen to Shannon Heritage's facilities and under whose auspices would they be. King John's Castle has been transferred to Limerick City and County Council, which is a good fit....
- Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Centres (10 May 2022)
Martin Conway: I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to take this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I accept people's bona fides in this. I accept the fact that there is an interdepartmental working group, which is absolutely the correct way to go about this, but there is a bottom line, which is that the taking over of the Shannon Heritage sites in County Clare cannot result in a...
- Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 May 2022)
Martin Conway: The schools building programme in this country has been very successful over the past number of years but many more schools are needed. I have a concern that I know is shared with colleagues, which is that come 4 p.m., many of our fantastic school buildings cease being in use. The Department of Education really must formulate a strategy to use these well-funded and beautiful public...
- Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: Over the past couple of weeks, while we were all in recess, the numbers on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick increased to new record levels. I am becoming a broken record at this stage to come into this Chamber to speak on this issue because every month the figures seem to get higher and higher. We have been told by the Minister for Health that HIQA will carry out an investigation...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: I also welcome our guests. I wish Dr. Holohan every success in his future career. His answers to Deputy Lahart suggested there may be some scope for him to continue in the public sector. That would be very welcome. There is an onus on Trinity College to engage directly with Dr. Holohan on this role because it is clearly needed and funding will be provided for it. Perhaps TCD can do...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: I want to ask Mr. Watt about the press release that was issued announcing Dr. Holohan's retirement or, rather, the fact that he was leaving the Department of Health. Did he sign off on the press release before it was released?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: Would Mr. Watt agree that in light of what has happened, perhaps there should have been more detail in the press release and it should have been held off for a couple of days and done properly? A huge amount of this would have been avoided had the detail, or at least the detail of the secondment, been put into the public domain by the Department of Health as opposed to the manner in which it...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: When top-level civil servants are being seconded there will have to be new protocols in place for all of that. It is not just a middle-ranking civil servant. The CMO is a top-level civil servant and out of courtesy, the Government should have been notified. We are not out of the pandemic. Hopefully we are in its twilight but we are certainly not out of it. The letter Mr. Watt sent to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: Yes, but essentially Mr. Watt's letter was underwriting the funding for Trinity.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: Based on the letter of intent, Trinity got the go-ahead to put together this package and position.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: Did Mr. Watt run the letter past the Department's legal section?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: Does Mr. Watt think that was a mistake?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: In hindsight, was it a mistake to issue such a strong letter of intent and to make such a commitment so early in the process without including a caveat that it was subject to Government approval or to passing the standard Estimates process?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: It was not explicit, however.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: Should it have been?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: The small print in these issues is important, as is the language. We are talking about €20 million-plus over ten years, clearly expressed in a letter of intent in which it was not explicitly stated that Government approval was required. Mr. Watt just assumed Trinity would presume that. Is that not dangerous?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: To give Mr. Watt another opportunity to respond to some of the issues Deputy Cullinane alleged regarding Mr. Watt overstepping his remit in making the commitment, is he fully confident he did not do so? Clearly, there is a belief he did.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: I second that proposal.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Proposed Appointment of Chief Medical Officer to a Role at a Higher Education Institution: Discussion (4 May 2022)
Martin Conway: That does not happen very often.