Results 1,701-1,720 of 5,398 for speaker:Cathal Crowe

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: It is an unusual work environment. There are many people on contracts and sketchy enough contracts that would not be that nice to be on, and then there are other people who are contractors and they are paid handsome fees. Are there any performance-related bonus payments within the organisation, and would Dee Forbes or any of the executive have been in receipt of those in recent years?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I also want to ask about the Deloitte audit. I have been audited as an elected Member. I think 15 Members every year get randomly selected and audited. An audit, as I understand it, although I am not an accountant, relates to a single financial transacting year. The Deloitte audit is very much focused on year beginning to year end. Has anyone said, "Maybe we now need as an organisation...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: That is fine and very well explained but the audit is a snapshot in time. The people who will face their licence renewals very soon and the people who are concerned about this whole debacle are probably wondering if this is a cultural thing and if it has happened in other years. The next time representatives of RTÉ are before our committee I would like them to have done a more...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I have just two final quick questions.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: Well, if they are final, final, I have one big one to ask at the end. Our national media are great. Some of them are here and we rely on all of them for accuracy. Last December, they reported that RTÉ was set to pay €1.74 million to its employees vis-à-visgift vouchers. That was an admirable measure - and I congratulate RTÉ - to mitigate the huge cost-of-living...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I want to conclude by thanking the witnesses. They might just tell me one thing at the end. I do not know if it is fair to name names, but Ciarán Mullooly in the past few days on his Twitter feed has been an outstanding representative. I think he speaks for so many of RTÉ's current and former employees. He is an outstanding figure in RTÉ. What would the witnesses say to...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: This is me asking; I was not asked to put that question.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: This is a very regionalised issue but the Lyric FM staff faced down management just four years ago and they were told, "There is no money. Sorry. We have to shut this down." I think RTÉ probably needs, separately to this debacle, to correspond with those staff and say, "In the fullness of time, we do owe you an apology also." There is plenty of money in this organisation.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I think that has become clear as well. I thank the witnesses for their time here today.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Toll Increases and Ongoing Projects: Discussion with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I read the opening statement. Only as the Leas-Chathaoirleach was speaking did I realise that a 130-page document is buried in the file tabs. I have a lot of bedtime reading for the next few nights. I have a few questions. The first concerns a very general point. It is always excellent to have different agencies and entities come before the committee to engage with us. It is democracy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Toll Increases and Ongoing Projects: Discussion with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I will make the point, even though I do not know if it is a fair analogy, that Irish Water is another entity that shares many assets. There are many overlapping matters here. Irish Water is far from ideal but at least, despite all its flaws - and it has many - it has a very linear structure that allows local elected representatives to query matters and get answers within a day or two....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Toll Increases and Ongoing Projects: Discussion with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I thank Mr. Walsh. I have a final question, if the Leas-Chathaoirleach will allow it. I do not dispute the TII is perfectly entitled to make this proposal. I just dispute how it could manifest itself in real life. Deputies and Senators here will know this is one of those little things that gets slotted in at the end of the county development plan. It has been sent to many local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Toll Increases and Ongoing Projects: Discussion with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: Can I ask Mr. O'Neill a general question? TII is doing great work. We have seen the list of works. We have a lot to read in the next few days. I am sure when TII develops phase 1 that it wants phase 2 or phase 3 to happen; it certainly does not want a road to be left piecemeal. Is that fair to say in a general sense?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Toll Increases and Ongoing Projects: Discussion with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: We will have a kind of cliff-edge situation in a few weeks, when the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has to assess TII's fairly hefty submission and decide whether he accepts it. I will be very clear that I am not disputing the road safety argument for a moment, but I, along with Deputies and Senators on a cross-party basis, am telling him that the blanket approach will not work here. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Toll Increases and Ongoing Projects: Discussion with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I appreciate that it is a tricky question. Deputy O'Connor elicited some answers that spoke volumes to me as well. I thank the witnesses for the work they are doing. We might not agree on everything. We appreciate the engagement. I urge TII to please try to work a bit better with local authorities. TII should ask the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, for a doubling of the unit...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Toll Increases and Ongoing Projects: Discussion with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: Yes. We can follow up with our party colleague.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (27 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: 61. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the estimated cumulative value of the investments to be made in counties Clare, Tipperary and Limerick, respectively, under the timeframe of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; the estimated funding drawdown to date in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30986/23]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (27 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: 71. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for an overview of the progress to date under national strategic outcome No. 2 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30987/23]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Fisheries Protection (27 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: 144. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his attention has been drawn to a recent fish kill in the Ballymacraven river, County Clare; if he will provide details of what investigative work his Department and the Environmental Protection Agency have undertaken following this event; how he proposes to support the restoration of the Ballymacraven river; and...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Credit Availability (27 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: 208. To ask the Minister for Finance if he is aware that owners of homes with defective concrete blocks are, in the main, unable to have their homes remortgaged; how he proposes to address this with pillar banks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30936/23]