Results 21,181-21,200 of 26,152 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: What I am asking is that we would get whatever documentation is available upfront at the start of the meeting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: It as if they have provided a paragraph with something in it and I am now asking them to put that same measure in another paragraph. I have no doubt they are capable of doing so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Mr. Barnes believes there is a one in two chance of reaching a growth rate of 2%.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Why is it to that level? The amount varies between 3.1% and 2.5%. It is a physical measure but, in terms of growth, fewer cuts are generally seen to have a slightly more positive impact. Why, then, is the same measure being applied?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Is it possible that the measure of GDP is flawed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Professor Barrett is being modest.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Is it possible that growth was overstated in previous years?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: I have two quick questions. The council has reduced its assessment of the likelihood of Ireland breaching the 3% debt-to-GDP target by 2015 from one in three to one in two. Where does the council see the possibility of reaching the growth target of 2% for 2014? Did it put a physical measure on that? In respect of the analysis of the forecasts, did the council factor in the patent cliff...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Professor Alan Barrett has been waiting for years for this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Professor McHale would consider the glass to be half full rather than half empty.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: My second question relates to the precautionary credit line. In its report, the council's proposal in the context of pushing for such a credit line was qualified to some extent. International market reaction in respect of our bond yields and in general has been extremely positive. Did the council reach a unanimous decision on the proposal that we should seek a precautionary credit line?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: So it was a unanimous decision.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: We have €20 billion in reserve. Is that not a significant insurance policy? Are our guests not pleasantly and agreeably surprised by the markets' reaction to the announcement by the Government? As Klaus Regling, managing director of the ESM, indicated as recently as yesterday, the Government's decision was the right one.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Does Dr. Donovan accept that international market reaction has been positive?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: On the question of the recapitalisation of the banks via the ESM, is there merit in the latter dealing with the banks in the context of the tracker mortgages they hold? Would our guests regard this as a good policy initiative?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Will Professor McHale comment specifically on trackers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: I welcome Professor McHale and his colleagues and thank them for the valuable work they do. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has adjusted its assessment of the likelihood of Ireland's breaching the 3% deficit ceiling from one in three to one in two. The November Exchequer returns released yesterday show that we are more than €500 million ahead of target in terms of taxes. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: To what choice is Mr. Barnes referring?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: It is a significant shift, from a one in three chance to a one in two, particularly in a context where we are seeing growth in employment, a reduction in the live register and stabilising public finances. Yesterday Forbes described Ireland as the best country in which to do business. In short, the indicators are good. Moreover, there is a legitimate view that, like riding a racehorse, where...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report November 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (5 Dec 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: The point I am making is that somebody looking in would surely conclude that Ireland is on an upward curve to which the markets are reacting very well. Why then did the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council come to the conclusion that the risks of breaching the deficit ceiling have increased from one in three to one in two?