Results 1,821-1,840 of 10,964 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: In recent years we have had some delays. I would imagine that in the coming years, as we see completions such as in Templemore, Ashbourne and a couple of others which will actually be completed this year, that will substantially raise the number of properties that are protected. More are currently under construction such as Springfield, Clonlara in County Clare. As they come on board and...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: When the Deputy says compensation, is she is talking about the schemes for businesses and homeowners?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I do not have those but I can get them for her. I can provide some examples in correspondence to the Deputy. For instance, we can consider what might have happened in Mallow, Fermoy and Clonmel in the absence of flood relief schemes. We can extrapolate based on the storms in Munster in the middle of last year. Those three towns would definitely have flooded in the absence of the schemes....

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: In a word, planning. We have been ambitious to try to make sure we get more schemes animated through a design process. Some have gone down the road of a judicial review or an objection. For example, Blackpool is a village within the centre of Cork city. That is a large and complicated scheme which has been delayed on the basis of environmental considerations. We would have profiled that...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am flattered to be asked but I am not a Minister of State at the Department of public expenditure and reform.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: On what we have to deliver, notwithstanding the difficulties that we have, we are well resourced both on our estate side and our climate adaptation side. In 2023, we overshot the runway for capital. I have often been in front of this committee and other committees. I would say it is always better to ask for forgiveness than permission. As a Minister of State and a public representative, I...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: We have had positive engagement with the Minister, Deputy Harris, regarding young school-leavers. It involves using the likes of Engineers Ireland to promote the prospect of careers in the public sector, including specialist careers that will add value to what we need to do here. This is not just an OPW issue. I am sure if the Railway Procurement Agency, or TII, whatever it is called, was...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: We are in a competitive market for specialists and engineers. I am not going to teach the Deputy how to suck eggs, as they say. We cannot compete with some of the private sector salaries that can be offered. There is no point in saying otherwise. What we offer which is totally different from the private sector is a holistic career, with opportunities for continuing professional...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As I said in the Dáil, including to Deputy Connolly, who has a keen interest in this, it is not a case of either-or from our point of view. Depending on where the buildings are and the needs of a particular Government Department, it is not a case of either-or but of lending it. We acquired a very significant building in Dublin before Christmas and closed its sale for a use that was...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: In response to another Deputy, I will address when a local authority proposes interim measures to the Office of Public Works, as Donegal County Council has. It has a good relationship with us, built up over many years. If there are interim measures that it feels would be of benefit to properties in the interim, during the planning stage, prior to construction and during construction, we...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: To take the last point first, I had a forced sabbatical during the summer.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy. I have meetings throughout the country I want to get back to. Donegal is one of them. We have a number of projects concerning the built environment, estate management and flood relief that we want to pursue. I will do that as quickly as I can. My other role involves the Gaeltacht, so I am sure the Deputy probably wants to cart me all over Donegal the day I am there,...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I normally meet the local authority and elected representatives in the area informally and then meet some residents. We have a tried and tested routine and it works well.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Unless the Deputy is preparing to pair with me on a Wednesday, I presume it will be some day that-----

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Mi casa es tu casa.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Like I said in the interlude, I have no difficulty at all with that. I must confess I had never heard of it until the Cathaoirleach originally corresponded with me about it. It sounds like an interesting project. While the OPW would provide the venue, we are not book collectors. We are not the National Library or the National Gallery.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I know, but that being said, if we have to get the National Archives or the National Library together with the OPW, I presume Kilkenny Castle would be the optimal location.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I commit that we will hold a discussion between the OPW, the National Library, National Archives and Kilkenny Castle to see if this can be advanced.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will have to get back to the Cathaoirleach on the specifics. It could be the Office of Public Works if it is on an arterial drainage channel or it could be the local authority if it was handed over to it. We have developed a protocol in recent years in which post-completion is as important as completion. We want to make sure there is sufficient money for preventative maintenance....

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: No more than in Midleton, the Office of Public works and local authorities design the scheme according to the worst recorded event. That is why Arup is using data from Storm Babet in Midleton to make sure we design to the worst recent event. There is no point in not taking the metrics into account from the worst recent event, proceeding with something substandard and, in 18 months, when...