Results 49,161-49,180 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (22 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: It would be great for this committee to have oversight of full expenditure. I welcome the openness in terms of improving the process. One of the limitations of the committee is that we just look at what is under this Minister's Department. There is no cross departmental element and it seems the committee is a useful place to take a strategic view, without necessarily having authority over...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (22 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I welcome the Minister. I will start with the new Croke Park agreement. I welcome the move to try to achieve further savings. One issue that has been very difficult, particularly for young people and young graduates who are anxious to move into the public service, is the embargo. It has been in place for years. I was speaking to a senior member of the Garda recently who pointed out that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (22 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: The second question relates to the Civil Service. I have looked through the reform plan in detail several times and there are some great and important changes being made. I am keen to see a good, healthy flow of people between the public, private, social and academic spheres. We do not have that to any great extent. It is beginning to happen at the higher level, with two Secretaries...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform Plan: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (22 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Transparency would help with that. The more transparency there is, the less insider knowledge one would get because much of it becomes public. I am not suggesting that if the private sector ran the public sector all would be well. It is just as important for public servants to work in the private sector, and the private sector would have much to gain. It would not necessarily be on...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I also welcome the Minister's openness to moving on some of these issues. One way to address this issue might be to tighten the definition of a voluntary assistant on page 9. It defines a voluntary assistant as somebody who is engaged in any way in the operation of the credit union. As Deputy Doherty said, that means that if one painted the place or the like, one cannot serve on the board....

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I agree with what the other Deputies have said and I understand the need for good governance and tightening up on governance. However, I do not understand why voluntary assistants are targeted. It comes back to how difficult it is for small branches to find people. If a small branch is looking for directors, and for people to give up their time for free and take on responsibility, perhaps...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: The current legislation provides that people must resign after their third year as a director. Is the Minister saying they can remain in the post for an additional nine years?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: That is not how I read it. Section 53(7)(b) of the principal Act will read: "The term of office of a director of a credit union ... shall not extend beyond the third subsequent annual general meeting after his or her election,".

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: They can, therefore, serve nine years in three-year terms.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I move amendment No. 23: In page 18, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following:“(10) The Government will support, in the interest of financial inclusion, the broadening of the existing payments infrastructure (including ATM networks) based on fair and cost effective measures to facilitate access by credit unions to these networks.”.I understand this issue has already been...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: When I teased this amendment out with the ILCU in order to understand what it was trying to achieve, it expressed concern that it would be priced out of the market by the pillar banks acting in a duopolistic manner. While they may technically be able to access these services, the providers would keep them out on cost. I consider the most relevant aspect of the amendment to be the phrase...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: I understand that. Perhaps it is in the Minister's remit to keep an eye on the banks we partly control to ensure they do not act in an anti-competitive manner. The amendment probably does not belong in the legislation but it would be a key factor for the Department to monitor.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: The term of three years seems unbalanced. In the public sector seven years are the norm. For example, the term for Secretaries General is seven years. I increased the period to five years to find a happy medium between the pressure for three years and the norm of seven years. I agree with the principle of limiting terms because any voluntary organisation is open to capture. Even party...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Why is it then, that the top tier will be allowed to do this but the lower tiers will not?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Is this a loan limit issue for the top tier?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: In that case, will the Minister consider loosening restrictions for tier 1 and 2 credit unions? Regarding the rule about no business lending for a credit union with capital reserves under €10 million, from my experience with microfinance in the US and not just the developing world, operations with less than €10 million in reserves can be good at providing microfinance. More so...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: The Chair should let me know if the content of this amendment already has been discussed in my absence.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: The issue for me in this regard pertains to microfinance. The Credit Guarantee Act and the microenterprise loan fund exclude credit unions from participation. My understanding from credit union representatives to whom I spoke is that while they can make loans for personal reasons, whatever they may be, they are prohibited from making loans for business purposes. I am taking that from them...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Credit Union Bill 2012: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: Perhaps we can examine this issue a little further. I spent some time working with the World Council of Credit Unions looking specifically at microsavings and microfinance in some extremely disadvantaged parts of the world. I have carried out work in respect of microfinance, which is incredibly powerful. It appears to me as though we have a market failure at present whereby the banks are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Budget 2013 (21 Nov 2012)

Stephen Donnelly: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will outline the way the forecasted €2.25 billion cuts for Budget 2013 will be distributed across Government Departments; if he will outline the processes and analysis used to determine this distribution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51921/12]