Results 1,781-1,800 of 7,404 for speaker:Mick Wallace

Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: The Council of the European Union press release on PESCO has a promotional video that opens with the line, "In a troubled world, citizens want the EU to offer them more protection", followed by images of fighter jets, drones, Apache helicopters, armed troops running off military transport helicopters, aircraft carriers and warships, all to the tune of the kind of aspirational and emotive...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Technological Universities (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: I believe this land was with my good friends in NAMA. A price was agreed and a deposit was paid. A deal was done but somewhere along the route the loans got shifted to a vulture fund. NAMA literally sold the land to a vulture fund, despite a deal having been done with the Higher Education Authority, HEA. How can the Government allow this to happen? It is madness. Carlow IT has gone on...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Technological Universities (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: This is ten years in the making. Is there a back-up plan? The HSE recently sold a huge tract of land in Enniscorthy at the old St. Senan's Hospital. I believe it is more than 40 acres. They sold it to a private developer for peanuts. Why did the State not look at that? Will the Minister of State find out for me if the HSE deal was done with NAMA or was it done with the vulture fund? Who...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Technological Universities (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: 41. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has satisfied himself with the progress on the creation of a university for the south east, if he has satisfied himself with the progress of the proposed acquisition of land for a new Institute of Technology Carlow campus in County Wexford, if either will address the third-level educational deficit faced by persons in County Wexford and...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Technological Universities (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: The planned amalgamation of Waterford Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Carlow into a technological university of the south east has been slowly plodding and going nowhere for two or three decades. I am sure the Minister of State might want to tell me about the progression of the Technological Universities Bill but the truth is that even a technological university will do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: I thank the witnesses for coming in. The Toland report highlighted a secretive and closed Department in which secrecy was part of its DNA and in which there was significant leadership and management problems. We were told by Ms McPhillips in her opening statement that in common with all Departments a new performance management process was introduced in 2016 for all senior management grades...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: I am not sure what year it was but in the context of the Government talking about reform of the Civil Service it was said that it would pin down accountability for results at every level from Ministers down with clear consequences for success or failure. Are there any sanctions in place in the Department of Justice and Equality for underperformance or negligence?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: Has anyone been censured in the past three years?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: I know a lot of questions have been asked about the emails. Witnesses should forgive me if I am going over ground that has been ploughed or harrowed before but I am as confused as I was when I came in. Was each email that was returned by each trawl categorised and, if so, how were they categorised?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: When the Department started to dig were emails put in different categories and filed or was it all one mishmash?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: In his statement of 28 November, the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, said of the emails that emerged on Monday, 27 November that he believed there were new documents that had only come to light and had not been given consideration in any earlier process. Does Ms McPhillips agree with that statement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: Deputies O'Callaghan and Jack Chambers were asking about the emails. The officials were saying that it would not have been fair to the tribunal to land all these emails down on top of them without going through them first to see what was relevant.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: I would have assumed that it would be best for them to make that call, though, no?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: There is no point in us arguing forever about it. I feel that the Department is doing some of the work of the tribunal. I would have thought that it would be a call the tribunal would have to make. If I were Mr. Justice Charleton, I would not want someone else screening what emails might be relevant or not. Do the witnesses not see that point?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: On Monday, 27 November, a Department of Justice and Equality spokesperson confirmed to RTÉ that the contact between the Department and the Attorney General's office was in fact for information purposes only and that it was not legal advice. I am curious as to how a defence based on legal advice was ever formed in respect of the email of 15 May. That email reads: "Richard and I agreed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: That became legal advice at a later stage, did it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: At that time, it was not actually established legal advice. Would that be true to say?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: Was the email of 15 May 2015 the first time the Department was informed of the legal strategy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: This is a question the Department can answer yes or no to. I do not understand why they would have a problem with it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Mick Wallace: I will ask the question differently, then. We will take out the legal strategy part. Was the email of 15 May 2015 the first time the Department had any notion that the former Garda Commissioner was going to question the motivation of Maurice McCabe?