Results 46,361-46,380 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Single Resolution Board (Loan Facility Agreement) Bill 2016: Second Stage (Resumed) (29 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: The Social Democrats support the Bill. We support the single resolution mechanism, which is already in operation, and we support the single resolution board, which is one part of the single resolution mechanism. The Bill gives the Minister for Finance the power to provide bridging finance of just over €1.8 billion to the single resolution board in certain eventualities, for example,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultant Contracts (28 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: 390. To ask the Minister for Health if he is aware of the end of a contract in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will investigate a new contract. [18075/16]

United Kingdom Referendum on European Union Membership: Statements (27 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: We will divide it into 12 minutes and eight minutes. The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union is a bad decision for the UK, a bad decision for Ireland and a bad decision for the European Union. It is a symptom of the growing disconnect between politics and the citizens whom politics is meant to serve. It is a symptom of the growing sense of the haves and have nots as well...

Other Questions: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (23 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: 5. To ask the Minister for Finance to provide a timeframe for the implementation of the mortgage resolution measures contained within the programme for Government; if funding has been allocated for these measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17745/16]

Other Questions: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (23 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Acting Chairman for the direction, which is very much appreciated. The new programme for Government contains very ambitious and laudable aims for the mortgage crisis. I and other members of the finance committee have looked for these changes for years and I am delighted to see included in the programme a new national service to standardise supports, changes to the thresholds for...

Other Questions: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (23 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: Other than the fact that some officials are now meeting to think about the measures, it all sounds like business as usual. Some 86,000 principal dwelling home mortgages remain in arrears. In the first quarter of 2016, almost 1,900 cases have been issued for possession against owner occupier homes. In the past six months, more than 300 repossessions have occurred. We know the figures are...

Other Questions: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (23 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: Is a moratorium something that the Minister would consider?

Other Questions: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (23 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: I reiterate that it sounds as though progress is being made but it would be very useful to have timelines against these proposals. I am sure the Minister has been contacted by people. I am being contacted by people from all over Wicklow and all around the State. They know big changes are afoot and ambitious targets and changes are being put into the programme for Government but they say to...

Summer Economic Statement 2016: Statements (Resumed) (23 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: I am very happy to have the opportunity to speak to the two Ministers about the summer economic statement. I read through it in some detail. There is undoubtedly some useful information in it. The more I read through it, the more I looked for balance, and I concluded that it is largely propaganda. The forecast figures are what they are but the framing of those figures and the framing of...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Home Repossessions (23 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: 89. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will put in place a moratorium on repossessions of principal dwelling homes until the measures contained in A Programme for a Partnership Government have been implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17746/16]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Corporation Tax Regime (23 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: 90. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will consider a higher rate of tax on excessive profits made by vulture funds, for example, where margins are greater than 50%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17747/16]

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Professor Barrett for his statement and for his time. He has laid out some of the technical capacity and the two models that the ESRI develops and maintains. Over the past five years I have contacted the ESRI many times seeking budgetary analysis and information on things like distributive analysis. I have used such analysis, as have many other Members, to look at the regressive or...

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: The ESRI's work is very good and is driven by the institute. Therefore, sometimes the work is useful to legislators but sometimes it is not or sometimes we would like extra pieces. For the new committee that will be in place, there will inevitably be a set of prescribed analysis that it will need. Let me give an example. Yesterday, this committee met the Irish Human Rights and Equality...

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (22 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: I will start by agreeing that the council's submission is spot on, although there are one or two parts with which I might disagree. The second half of page four and all of page five of IFAC's submission pretty much nails the analytical opportunity. It is the bit that is missing. Deputy Doherty, myself and many other members of the finance committee begged the last Government for that...

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (22 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: It is about ten but that is not remotely enough time to interrogate it, be briefed on it, hear submissions from the advisory council and others on it, come up with recommendations and then leave the Minister and his officials with enough time to deliberate on those recommendations and incorporate them into the SPU. It was suggested that the committee would take the draft SPU at the same time...

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Office for Budget Responsibility (22 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Mr. Chote for coming over; it is very much appreciated. As I understand the role of his office, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in developing his or her budget, has some taxation items and some expenditure items. The Chancellor relies on the OBR to give aggregate impacts of a package of measures. Is that correct?

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Office for Budget Responsibility (22 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: So when it comes to big-ticket items such as the commissioning by the Treasury of an aircraft carrier that will cost €2 billion per annum over five years, the OBR does not cost that but it does include that €2 billion in its assessments.

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Office for Budget Responsibility (22 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: Am I correct that if the Department of Health informs the OBR that the NHS spend will be approximately €130 billion, rather than working out the number of doctors, nurses, hospitals, drugs and so on, the office may take the view that because the socio-demographics are moving in the opposite direction, it does not accept that NHS spending will decrease by 4% and therefore it does not...

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Office for Budget Responsibility (22 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: I have two more questions. The OBR provides the service for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. What mechanism is available to Opposition MPs or Opposition parties to have their budget or policy proposals costed and assessed?

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Office for Budget Responsibility (22 Jun 2016)

Stephen Donnelly: The role of this committee is to recommend a structure rather than to engage in the actual process. Based on what Mr. Chote has seen, international comparators and so on what does he believe the committee should definitely include in its report, what mistakes should we avoid and so on?