Results 1-20 of 3,706 for speaker:John Brady

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: On a point of order, last week, following the Minister's appearance before the committee, I and other members wrote to the Chair stating, and it was certainly my belief, that the Minister gave misleading information before the committee. I asked that he would arrange to bring the Minister back before the committee. Subsequent to that request the Minister sent a letter to the committee on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: We should also brief the Ceann Comhairle because it is totally unsatisfactory. It shows sheer contempt by the Minister and his officials towards the committee and committee members. I propose that we write to the Business Committee and the Ceann Comhairle to find out exactly how this happened and the exact timeline.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: Sorry Chair, I do not accept that. We as a committee have a duty and an obligation to find out why the media had an important piece of correspondence before this committee did. I accept the Chair or the secretariat did not have this letter before the media did. I accept that point. Somebody in Fine Gael leaked this important letter to the media before it made its way to this committee....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: The Minister came before the committee last week and, in my view, made a deliberate attempt to mislead it. He claimed that at no time did he feel Katherine Zappone was lobbying for a job. Yet it is abundantly clear that Ms Zappone not only sought a plum position that would grant her access to the UN but also undertook a campaign to lobby for that position. She lobbied the Minister, Deputy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: That is fine. The Minister did not challenge Ms Zappone at that point as she was breaching the legislation and offering her services in either a private or a professional-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: I will move on. Last week the Minister stated that he had a conversation in and round 21 February when he spoke to Katherine Zappone. The released data now show that it was actually a text message from Katherine Zappone on 22 February. It is stated in that text message that the Minister had spoken to the Minister, Deputy Donohoe. Ms Zappone says, "I know Paschal has spoken with you about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: Was that a phone conversation or was that via text or WhatsApp?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: There are no records of that conversation having taken place anywhere, are there?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: On 24 February the Minister had a meeting with his Secretary General, Niall Burgess. The Minister says that at the tail end of that meeting he posed the prospect of the creation of a role with the Secretary General. Are there any records of that conversation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: Okay. Are there any text messages between the Minister and the Secretary General or were they deleted?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: So there are no records of that conversation. It was not done in a formal capacity; it was an ad hocapproach to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: I thank the Minister. The records show that on 26 February the Minister had another phone conversation with Katherine Zappone. What was the nature of that conversation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: Did the Minister speak to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, at any point following that conversation with Katherine Zappone on 26 February?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: Okay. There is a text from Katherine Zappone on 4 March stating, "thank you so, so much for offering me this incredible opportunity. It will be such a privilege and I will be so proud to serve Ireland again." What did the Minister offer her? That was a job offer. It is quite unbelievable that the Minister offered that position to Katherine Zappone and then on 23 July there were internal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: Sorry, Minister, I have just one final-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: I have a final point which I think is important because what the Minister is trying to do now is to fix the documents to fit a wholly unbelievable narrative. This job was offered and accepted. The Department only at that point set out-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: I have one final question and I think it is critically important-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: It relates to the next communication, on 19 July, when there was a critical intervention-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: -----by the Minister. Despite him saying that he did not have any correspondence with Katherine Zappone when she was-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Appointment of Special Envoys: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence (7 Sep 2021)

John Brady: -----in Ireland, on foot of a text from and lobbying by the Tánaiste, the Minister then phoned Katherine Zappone when she was in Dublin and also phoned the Secretary General to set up a critical meeting at which the terms were agreed-----