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THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS Committee (PAC) has agreed to invite the former First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson and the current Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to appear before it over the Project Eagle sale.
The pair are mentioned in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (C&AG) report on the National Asset Management Agency’s (Nama) sale of Project Eagle.
It’s understood a phone call with Robinson and McGuinness took place in 2014 where the Project Eagle sale was discussed with Finance Minister Michael Noonan.
In a statement today, the committee said it has outlined its work programme to deal with the C&AG’s report on Project Eagle.
In addition to the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan (who has already accepted the committee’s invitation) it plans to invite a number of other witnesses.
These include:
The committee said it will begin its work with the C&AG and Nama representatives on 29 September .
Minister Noonan is due to appear before the committee on 6 October.
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196 representations by Charlie Flanagan alone? Doesn’t sound suspicious at all.
@Dj: He was Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade…
@Dj: obviously has the dumbest or laziest constituents whom can’t read an application forms criteria.
@iohanx: must be the which minister can you bring section!
They wouldn’t have to if the passport office would actually answer the phone and respond to email. I can understand that they’re understaffed but ignoring queries means more incomplete applications that must be sent back and time wasted.
We are not looking for any favourtism
then what else?
They probably work on a first come first serve basis so dealing with politicians requests just slows up the process for everyone else.
I sent my sons passport in at the start of April for a trip in oct . I sent it through passport express. Plenty of time . An unscheduled trip for family to the UK came up . The passport was gone six weeks and no one from the passport office could be contacted via email webchat or phone . I got on via webchat waiting for hours each time and they wouldn’t help , the last time I was told unless someone was dead with evidence my 3 year olds son passport wouldn’t be done .so I asked for help out of pure desperation . I got it with hours to spare . The passport office are v difficult to deal with .
Has John Waters got his passport yet?
@Larry Doyle: I think that gobsh*te had already made plans to move to Spain. Just an attention seeker!
And one was for me, so I could get a valid passport back that I send in to support an application, forgetting I was travelling, the staff were no help at all sent in 10 emails to no reply, calls on hold for upto an hour. Shocking customer support.
Such representations mean pure chronism and should be made explicitly illegal. Naming and shamimg is useful in the meantime though.
The Fine Gael and the Fianna Fáil boyos seem to have gone nuts on them altogether
Shouldn’t this be shifted to local councillors instead? And isn’t there an actual fast track system where you pay a bit more for the faster turn around?
@Oisín O’Connor:
I completed my application for a new passport on line and it was a 4 day turn around and i didnt have any need to contact my local TD’s thankfully
@RobbieL: ssshh! You’ll spoil the importance of TDS and Senators. Their public profile will disappear altogether if people look after their own affairs.
@RobbieL: yeah sure you did
Why would anyone want a passport to leave Ireland?
Funny how the 3,500 recently new “Irish Citizens” had no problem getting their passports, all had them to hand on the day to parade in front of the camera’s.
We need another two or three physical passport offices , in Galway & Sligo as examples. Also, automated renewals with pre scanned photos, renewal reminder notices automatically sent out by email, and arguably 15 year passports also ( I’ve not aged in 15 years at any rate…). Or add it to the functions of local government, arguably, despite their flaws.
The only reason FF/FG did so well in workingclass areas was promising medical cards for them. something they were entitled already.
Helping nobody has now been turned into a virtue by our new spiritual guides, media busybodies ?
that is how they get the votes that re-elect them….. it is a micro version of “stroke” politics whether it be passports or getting a pedestrian crossing or a street light or 1001 other things it is a “game” played to make it appear that your friendly TD has done you a favour….
There is a place for TDs and other elected officials to follow through on issues that affect constituents but there has to be a balance… and in this case maybe the people waiting for passports did have issues that needed speeding up over the longer waiting lists… who knows for sure
That’s all they are good for.
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