Results 41-60 of 2,156 for speaker:Tom Parlon

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: With all due respect, I listened to a lot of rubbish as well.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: The Senator repeated his comments a number of times when he was trying to goad somebody into making a response. I think he repeated his comments on four different occasions. There is a real concern that the freedom of information legislation has had a detrimental effect on the business of Government. Records are being created not only for the purpose of providing advice or an informed...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: The process of Government is being shackled by an unhealthy concentration on how information will be construed. Senator Ulick Burke quoted articles from a Sunday newspaper which were totally inaccurate and he put them on the record as if they were fact.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: It is a matter of public record where the money was spent . No amount of consultation would change the Government's considered view that additional but limited protections are necessary to protect the process of Government and it would be disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: I will come to that. The high level group was set up by Government to advise in the light of experience of the operation of the Act to date and issues mainly relating to the operation of Government. The aim of the group was to strike the appropriate balance between maintaining the integrity of the Cabinet and the underlying deliberative process and ensuring appropriate level of openness and...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: It was not a secret process.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: It is part of the deliberative process and the report of the group has been published to assist the debate in the other House. I do not believe the Government needs to apologise for the way it has gone about its work.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: In regard to certification by Secretaries General, the question of whether a deliberative process has ended can be difficult. The Government has decided that more certainty is needed in this area so that records which relate to ongoing deliberations of Departments are not released into the public domain prematurely and in such a way as to undermine the process of Government. It would be...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: This provision applies only to Departments which comprise only 15 public bodies of a total of almost 380 which are covered by the Freedom of Information Act.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: In issuing certificates, Secretaries General will need to be fully satisfied that the deliberative process is ongoing. Secretaries General are responsible people—

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: Secretaries General are responsible people in charge of complex organisations and we can rely on them to discharge this function responsibly. In addition, the FOI central policy unit of the Department of Finance will give detailed practical advice to Departments on what procedures should be put in place. There has been much talk about the culture of secrecy in the Civil Service.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: Our Civil Service operates in an environment which is very open and liberal by international standards and this will continue to be the case. There have been liberal references to other countries. I refer to Australia. The Secretary to the Department of the Prime Minister has the power to certify that the document is a Cabinet document. Such a certificate establishes conclusively that the...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: In Canada, the Act does not apply for 20 years to a long and non-exhaustive list of Cabinet confidences, including communications used for rejecting communications or discussions between Ministers of the Crown on matters relating to the making of Government decisions and the formation of Government policy. Neither does it apply to records the purpose of which is to brief Ministers of the...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: The extension of the Freedom of Information Act to a wide range of public bodies – which was done not because it was required under the 1997 Act, but because the recent Government chose to do so – and the introduction of other measures such as the Standards in Public Office Act 2001 which established a comprehensive ethos and framework for public officials, show a very firm commitment on...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: In regard to oral questions, Deputies have an opportunity to ask supplementary questions.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: That is the position. The information goes on the public record and I see no need to go further. Contrary to what has been suggested, the measures in the Bill do not radically alter the purpose or intent of the original legislation. Certain provisions impacting on very specific and sensitive areas of Government activity are being reformed to protect and improve the process of Government and a...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: —the Information Commissioner will continue to be legally bound to treat a refusal of a request for information as unjustified. I look forward to further debate on Committee Stage. Question put. Tá

Seanad: Adjournment Matter. - Community Services. (4 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: On behalf of my colleague, Deputy Martin, Minister for Health and Children, I thank the Senator for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to outline the Department's position on this issue. In recent years the Department of Health and Children has provided funding to meet identified needs in existing services. It has also provided funding to put in place new service developments...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Second Stage. (25 Mar 2003)

Tom Parlon: I thank all the Senators who contributed to the debate on Second Stage of the Finance Bill 2003. Senators Higgins, Kenneally and others raised the issue of inflation and spoke about the importance of maintaining and improving our competitiveness. As a small open economy, Ireland's ability to trade, to a large extent, determines our living standards. Therefore, it is vital, as Senators said,...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters. - Decentralisation Programme. (15 Apr 2003)

Tom Parlon: Decentralisation is an issue of keen interest to many Members of this House. I, personally, have always been an advocate of decentralisation and I am particularly pleased to have this opportunity to address the issue on the Adjournment. The Government's commitment to introducing a new programme of decentralisation is evident in the commitment made in An Agreed Programme for Government in...