Results 61-80 of 7,410 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan
- Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (24 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: 68. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of sanctioned autism classes in Dublin bay north as of September 2025; her plans to open additional sanctioned autism classes; the reasons a request (details supplied), submitted late in 2024, to open two additional autism classes has not yet been sanctioned by the NCS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50717/25]
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: I thank our guests for coming in and for their opening statement. Dr. Kelly, in his opening statement, said: "We also anticipate a moderate structural shift with reduced manufacturing activity". What is that based on? Is it based on a forecast? Is there hard evidence or is it just a projection?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: The quarterly report contains interesting data on the increase in food prices, pointing to meat prices driving some of that quite significantly and then, within the meat sector, it is beef and veal, in particular, that are driving that. The Central Bank notes that the increase in beef and veal prices does not appear to reflect the results that have passed through our input prices and it also...
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: What is driving the reduced production in our export markets that is increasing prices?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: Is that impacting on prices in Ireland?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: Dr. Kelly made a case for having a credible fiscal anchor and suggested a "net spending growth of around 4% to 5%." Does the composition of that in terms of current or capital need to be specified in a credible fiscal anchor or left flexible? What are the witnesses' views on that?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: Dr. Kelly, in his opening statement, made the observation that those companies "exporting to the US tend to be larger, more productive" than those exporting to UK or European Union markets. Why is that the case? How can it be addressed?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: So some of it is volume.
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: What about the issue of productivity?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: Is there not a difference between some elements of the multinational sector in terms of productivity and some elements of the more indigenous sector?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: More investment and research.
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the witnesses for coming in. First, the opening statement states that the economy is arguably overheating with capacity constraints driven by infrastructure and housing deficits. What are the signs of it overheating at the moment? What kind of impacts and risks are associated with that?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: To summarise what Dr. McDonnell is saying, we are at risk of overheating now if we do not make the right choices.
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: On the €2 billion increase on capital spending outlined in the summer economic statement, does Dr. McDonnell think that is sufficient in terms of the ratio between capital and current expenditure?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: Our construction sector productivity is quite poor relative to comparable countries. There is a lack of investment in equipment and technology, and a lack of private sector investment in particular in those areas. Does Dr. McDonnell have any ideas how to address that productivity gap in the construction sector?
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: There is a lack of private sector investment in that at the moment, and that is what the data shows.
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: On the area of research and development, in the opening statement it was argued that much higher spending on public research and development is needed to bring us into line with other advanced countries and economies. This is described as a consistent and frustrating policy failure. Does Dr. McDonnell have any view on why this area of public research and development is being neglected so...
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: It does seem to be a particular weakness. We had some discussion earlier about some strengths that we have as a country but this seems to be a particular weakness.
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the witness for coming in. On the point about the challenge of infrastructure, delivering it, and the importance of financing infrastructure, IBEC's pre-budget submission has a costing of €86 million to do the reduction on VAT for apartments and to discontinue development levies on new-build apartments. Does that €86 million include replacement funding for...
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (Resumed) (23 Sep 2025)
Cian O'Callaghan: Is the increase in property tax in the submission?