Results 81-100 of 6,100 for speaker:Mairéad Farrell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: What is the incentive? I am not saying any particular country would not want to, but are there particular repercussions that have been outlined for countries if they do not pay them back? At the moment they are guaranteed by the EU budget.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: What are they?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: We are the finance committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas in Ireland and we are being told that member states are likely to repay these loans and that is the working assumption. However, there is a lot of talk about war coming to Europe and that this is the reasoning behind these member states needing to increase their military capabilities. Surely, in a situation like that they are less...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: Then I would like for us as a committee to be furnished with exactly what that is, because I want to know if it is fiscal austerity that the EU is planning to impose on these countries. I would like to know exactly what those obligations are. To me, it is simply not good enough to be told there is a working assumption and that we are not told why exactly. Does the witness have any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: This does not fill me with confidence. From our engagements on this issue, the reasoning for the increase in military spending is based on the fear that there could be a war in some of these countries or an invasion in some of these countries. Surely, that would impact on their economy. How much, in terms of the EU budget, is being set aside on a yearly basis at present for what in Mr. de...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: This is the finance committee, however. I ask again that we are furnished with this. The issue here is very clear. These are significant loans for some of these countries. If there is a country which, through absolutely no fault of its own, is unable to pay back these loans because it is in an economic crisis from, perhaps, war in that country, this finance committee will be looking at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: Is that the case here?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: For us, how much is that in a given year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: Over the next ten years, for this particular instance, it is legitimate to have concerns if countries will not be able to pay it back. I am not expecting Ms Ralph to answer that particular part but it is legitimate to have concerns in relation to that. Is that done out? Do we know how much we are setting aside?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: I understand it is unprecedented but the way this is being sold to us in relation to SAFE is that we are in unprecedented times and we do not know what will happen. That is where the concern is. I thank Ms Ralph.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: I understand you are all saying this is unlikely but we are consistently told all this money has to be borrowed because there could be a war in a country. I do not see how billions and billions of borrowing can be paid back in a ten-year period by a country that could be devastated by war. The hope is that this will not be the case, but why is there €150 billion in militarisation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: We can agree to disagree with different policy positions. We are focused on the financial aspect. I am aware an Teachta Shay Brennan has come in. I want to let him in. I will then let people in for a second round.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: We will let people in for a second round anyway so does the Deputy want to have a think and come back, or does he have one final question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: We will move on to a second round of questions. An Teachta Doherty has indicated. If anybody else wishes to, that is okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: Does anyone else wish to contribute on the second round? If not, I will ask two brief questions. Deputy Brennan asked about how the money will be spent and how we can be sure that it is spent on what it was supposed to be spent on. We heard earlier from the Commission that whether or not states are abiding by the law will not preclude them and is not part of the analysis in relation to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: We do not know if the court will have a role in auditing this going forward. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: Would the Commission representatives know?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: What level of oversight will there be on the spending?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: No, I mean from yourselves. What guaranteed oversight will there be on the spend?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Mairéad Farrell: No, from the Commission. You have just told me that the European Court of Auditors is independent and will make a decision by itself. Is there another mechanism whereby there will be oversight, perhaps from the Commission?