Results 23,781-23,800 of 26,162 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (8 Jun 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am pleased to support this Bill. I very much welcome the restoration of the minimum wage to its previous level. I also welcome the halving of the rate of PRSI to 8.5% in respect of workers whose income does not exceed €356 per week. The hallmark of any Government should be its fairness, and these are fair and progressive measures. The allocation of resources to social welfare must be...

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (resumed) (25 May 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: I understand there are ten minutes available to me. Is that correct?

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (resumed) (25 May 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: Perhaps the Acting Chairman will inform me when there are two minutes remaining.

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (resumed) (25 May 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: I will have a particular message to deliver to the Deputy at that point. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011. I will deal first with the measures it contains. The jobs initiative announced by the Government does not contain a promise to deliver a large-scale plan. We are restricted in that regard by the terms of the deal with the EU and...

Report of the Standing Order 103 Select Committee: Motion (17 May 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: I commend Deputy Charlie Flanagan on the efficient manner in which he conducted the committee's business and on producing a comprehensive and relevant report. CCCTB has been discussed in very abstract terms but the proposal put forward by the European Commission breaches subsidiarity rules because there is insufficient information to make a proper evaluation of the proposals and, by the...

Jobs Initiative 2011: Statements (Resumed) (12 May 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak on the jobs initiative, which I believe is practical and creative. It covers a wide range of areas and must be viewed in context, namely, the IMF deal which restricts us in terms of the amount of money we can borrow. Fine Gael gave a commitment to put jobs at the top of its agenda when in government and has done so in terms of the introduction...

Jobs Initiative 2011: Statements (Resumed) (12 May 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: It made no sense. The Government is in negotiations with the airlines on this matter. I welcome that the taxpayer will see a return from the reduction in the travel tax. Also, I welcome, in the context of Shannon, the tourism marketing fund which will focus on bringing extra tourists to Ireland. From 2007 to 2010 there was a 25% reduction in passenger numbers nationally. Tourism is an...

Commission of Inquiry into Banking Sector: Statements (20 Apr 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am delighted to contribute to this debate. The Nyberg report is very wide-ranging and has much in common with the previous reports but it has also dealt with new areas. It goes over old ground which was also dealt with in the other reports. The lack of proper regulation was probably the most critical factor in the banking crisis. Proper regulation from the regulatory authorities would...

European Council Meeting: Statements (22 Mar 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am delighted to make a contribution to this debate and in the short time available to me I want to make a number of important points. I wish the Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, well in the negotiations over the comings days but I want to deal with the issue of corporation tax. Europe should be aware that the low corporation tax has been a cornerstone of our economic platform since the 1950s...

Programme for Government: Motion (15 Mar 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: I wish to share my time with Deputies Buttimer and Donohoe. I rise to endorse and support the programme for Government. In the limited time I have, I will discuss three main areas. If we do not deal with the banking crisis, we cannot move forward as an economy. I remember when the bank guarantee scheme was introduced by the then Government in September 2008. It was introduced on the...

Finance Bill 2011: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: I wish to refer to something that has arisen in practice in the context of section 60. The residential housing market is not moving at the moment, but many young couples have bought homes. They took a risk, although people said the market was still falling. In many such cases, people were advised to close and pay stamp duty at 1% prior to the budget, whereas they are now paying 4% or more....

Finance Bill 2011: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: Will the Minister of State yield?

Finance Bill 2011: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: On the practical issue, I know that many calls have been made to the Department of Finance - although not a huge number - from people who are upset because, when they were purchasing their homes, the stamping instrument went through prior to 8 December. Similarly, there are cases of people who bought their homes on the same date. Some would have effectively put through the statutory...

Finance Bill 2011: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Government is giving transitional arrangements where someone who enters an agreement after 8 December ends up paying a higher amount that he or she would have paid if going through before this date. In the interests of fairness the reverse should apply. The dates are arbitrary but I am focusing on the week before, from 1 December. I should like if for Report Stage the Minister could...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (25 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: Question 295: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform the reason behind the reported cut in the budget for Operation Anvil from €21 million to €10 million; the impact of this cut on Garda capacity to combat gangland crime; the budgetary implications for operations and policing in the Limerick Garda district; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3390/11]

Small Business Sector (19 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: You might encourage the Minister to answer the question.

Small Business Sector (19 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: His original thoughts.

Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: Question 60: To ask the Minister for Enterprise; Trade and Innovation if he has set new goals for his Department in the strategy statement due to be completed in September 2010; the reason he has not published the strategy statement to help inform the Oireachtas on choices that have to be made in budgetary planning in 2011 and subsequent years [2607/11]

Departmental Strategy Statements (19 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: While Nero fiddles Rome burns. There will be no strategy until the Fianna Fáil election manifesto is produced. It is now 2011. The most recent strategy finished at the end of 2010 and the Minister gave a commitment at the end of December last that the new strategy would be brought before the House within 60 days. Is he now saying no Department strategy will be produced but that it will...

SME Sector (19 Jan 2011)

Kieran O'Donnell: Does the Minister of State agree there is a weakness in the review process? It has a limit of €250,000 and takes a "comply or explain" approach. Consequently, Mr. John Trethowan cannot compel the banks to lend. Furthermore, does the Minister of State agree there is a need for a bank guarantee scheme to complement the credit review process? For example, if a loan application was for...