Results 1-20 of 1,076,222 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Emer Higgins OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:Cormac Devlin OR speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan OR speaker:Dara Calleary)

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach, an gcléireach agus an gcoiste as an deis a thabhairt dúinn an Bille tábhachtach seo a phlé. I thank the Chair, committee and secretariat for making time this morning. I was not able to attend the Second Stage debate so I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, for taking it and acknowledge her and Deputy O'Reilly's...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: I agree that for large companies, that element of public accountability is needed. We have had virtual and hybrid meetings in effect for almost four years, since the start of the pandemic. We have had very few significant issues in that space and we have been watching for them. There is regulation making power in section 176A (9) which will allow the Minister to make regulations around:...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: Absolutely, I am focused on the CEA's resources. Since legislation for the CEA was first proposed in 2018, its resources have been doubled. We also have good arrangements with An Garda Síochána for secondments. Budget 2024 gave a 14% increase on budget 2023 and budget 2025 will increase that again to €11.5 million. However, I will be straight. It is difficult for the CEA...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

David Stanton: I want to comment on section 9 which relates to requiring evidence to verify a company's registered office address from companies that apply to register. Their constitutions have to be to changed. What kind of evidence is involved?

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: I apologise, but I did not hear the question.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

David Stanton: Section 9 states that the "registrar may request evidence of situation of a registered office". What kind of evidence are we talking about?

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: It would be the normal things such as a business bill or a certificate from the Companies Registration Office. We can use eircodes.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

David Stanton: The reason I bring this up is that there are lots of organisations now registering as companies. For instance, organisations that run community centres register themselves as companies. Would they be part of this as well? I assume they would be.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: The requirement applies to any company. Any company seeking to register with the registrar would have to provide documentation. The registrar will have the power and scope to seek further documentation, particularly with regard to registration address. I know where the Deputy is coming from. There are many virtual offices and workspaces now but the registrar is very well attuned to and...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: I thank the officials from my Department who are with me. They have worked incredibly hard on this. I am not sure I am going to be back before this particular select committee, although I hope I will be, so I will thank the Cathaoirleach and the various members of the secretariat over the last year. It has always been a good committee to come to. I acknowledge Deputies Bruton and Stanton...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Marks (Madrid Protocol) (Amendment) Regulations 2024: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I am delighted to join members today and I am pleased to present to the committee a draft statutory instrument entitled Trade Marks (Madrid Protocol) (Amendment) Regulations 2024. As the committee will be aware, a trade mark is a sign that distinguishes the goods and services of one business from those of another. The trade mark is a valuable business asset that can attract and retain...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Marks (Madrid Protocol) (Amendment) Regulations 2024: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: That is correct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome the Minister and his colleagues. I also welcome his ongoing commitment to the children's hospital. It is the biggest single project of that nature ever undertaken in this State. It is not, by a long shot, the most expensive hospital in the world, despite comments from some people. It is ten times bigger than any similar project ever undertaken in this State. It is very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I am sorry about that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Members of the board were in before us last June and again last week, updating us on progress, or rather the lack of progress, in completing the children's hospital. I want to put on the record what they said to us last week, which I assume the Minister accepts. They said that in the last four years the main contractor, BAM, has shifted its completion date 14 times. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: They also said that in the last 12 months alone, BAM has shifted its substantial completion date four times, pushing it out by a total of eight months. Does the Minister agree with that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: They also said that in 2019 BAM committed to 1,700 so-called "productive operatives" - I am presuming they were talking about feet on the ground or human resources - to complete the project. However, on average since 2022, there have been about 774 productive operatives on site and the highest or peak that it reached was 1,260. Essentially, as the Minister just said in simple terms, BAM is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: They also said that since September 2023, BAM has, on average, achieved 64% of its planned progress. In fact, when they were before the Oireachtas committee last year, they said it was 67% so what they were telling us last week was pretty much the same information. They also told us that of the 3,128 rooms which BAM has submitted as complete to its standard, none were completed to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Okay but it was slightly less than €500 million. The Minister was the Minister for Health during all of that so when he paints the picture of four years, of 14 completion dates that have come and gone, four times over the last 12 months where BAM has missed its completion date, not providing the human resources to get the project done, no room of standard that is complete, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: So it was in the last week. I do not need the exact date.