Results 1-20 of 4,396 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Business Support Package: Statements (23 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I am delighted to be given the opportunity to say a few words here this afternoon and to point out some of the excellent work that has been done by a slew of Ministers and officials across a number of Departments, led by the Minister, Deputy Burke, and following on, despite some revisionism, which we are used to, from certain parties across the Chamber, from a package announced a couple...

Business Support Package: Statements (23 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: Sinn Féin's entire enterprise budget last year was €30.3 million. Within that, Sinn Féin says that there should be the creation of an Irish jobs agency. We have Enterprise Ireland. When we have a 15-minute intervention from the Sinn Féin spokespeople, and we will have more slating of this package, they really need to start looking at themselves and the sheer lack of...

Business Support Package: Statements (23 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: No, they have also increased local property tax; Deputy Nash can ask the local councillors - even though the council has taken in more money and is spending more than ever, but yet it will not reduce commercial rates or local property tax. That is something Deputy Nash can reflect on. I am more than happy to engage with the local Labour candidate when she calls to my door looking for my...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Unions (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputy for his question. However, I was a little bit confused and hope we might have a bit of clarification in our debate. There is a cap of €100,000, not €30,000 as is stated in the Deputy's question, on member savings, as outlined in Central Bank Regulation 35 of the Credit Union Act 1997 (Regulatory Requirements) Regulations 2016. As the Deputy is aware, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Unions (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: As I stated, the maximum individual member savings limit is €100,000, which is a sizeable amount, particularly for most community groups. With the exception of large-scale sports capital grants, there are very few grants that we----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Unions (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: There is not a cap of €30,000. That is up to the individual credit union. The policy of the Central Bank is €100,000. The reason they have that is to ensure the protection of members' savings and to ensure that credit union funding continues to be sufficiently diversified and is not dependent on a small number of members. The Deputy knows how the credit union works. You...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Unions (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: The Deputy might write to me with the specific nature of the query and representations being made. That might give me an opportunity to look at the matter in more detail and see what role I can play, cognisant of the independence of the Central Bank and also of the boards of individual credit unions. The most recent data we have is that 70% of credit unions have imposed their own member...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputies for their supplementary questions. With regard to the issue raised by Deputy O'Sullivan, I was not aware of the specific issue with regard to modular builds and I will seek a conversation with the Minister, Deputy Foley, to see whether we can get resolution. It is of major concern to all of our constituencies. To respond to Deputy Durkan's point, we do work with the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I thank the three Deputies for their interventions. For general premiums, the most drastic example has been the decrease in motor insurance over the past four years. There has been an average decrease of 24% in the cost of premiums in that sector, which is key progress that is extremely welcome. A lot of that is due to the decline in soft tissue injuries. I will be quite frank and have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: We will continue to engage with insurers.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I did not interrupt you and I do not know why you keep doing this to Ministers. You asked a question and I am offering a supplementary reply. If that is what you want, we can do it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: With respect to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I would like to address all three points that were made. Deputy Stanton asked about the delay in payouts. I fundamentally agree that it is a key issue for individuals and businesses around the country. It is putting businesses out of action and people are waiting for such a serious length of time that they are unable to meet demands. It is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 82 together. I thank the Deputy for his questions. As has been outlined and is quite clear, insurance reform remains a key priority for this Government and is being delivered via the action plan for insurance reform. As the Deputy is aware, neither the Minister for Finance nor the Central Bank of Ireland can direct the pricing or provision of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputy for his supplementary contribution. As I have laid out, I have met seven of the nine major insurers at this stage. I have also met the representative bodies of the insurance industry, representatives of the Law Society of Ireland and the brokers, as well as representative groups in the hospitality industry, at a round table and in one-on-one meetings. I have another such...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 94 together. I thank Deputies O'Sullivan and Stanton for their very timely and pertinent questions. As they will be aware, insurance reform remains a key priority for this Government and is being delivered via the action plan for insurance reform. As per the most recent action plan implementation report, published in February 2024, the vast bulk of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputies for the supplementary questions. I acknowledge absolutely the acute costs facing businesses. This issue is very relevant to my previous role. I have met representatives of the Alliance for Insurance Reform already. We had a recent roundtable event for those in the hospitality sector, which they attended. We expect other companies to enter the market. As I laid out,...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Second Stage (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I thank Senators from across the political divide who have contributed to this very important debate. I acknowledge the array of points raised and I will go through them individually in due course.The Minister, Deputy McGrath, and I look forward to engaging further with Senators, as has been flagged, on Committee and Report Stages on the issues raised this afternoon. As the Minister stated,...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Second Stage (21 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: I am sorry; the Senator's point was not covered. I fully understand what she said about the importance of regional investment. That might be outside the frame of debate for these two funds; rather is general government expenditure or the role of ISIF, but I understand her concern. Investments will be made outside the State, which is important to acknowledge, and we will make sure...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 May 2024)

Neale Richmond: We want them removed.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Departmental Schemes (30 Apr 2024)

Neale Richmond: I thank Deputy Nash for raising this issue with me this evening. I love Drogheda too. My mother went to school there. She was in the Drogheda Grammar School for many a year, although it was many years ago. It is a small city that I visit regularly. I appreciate Deputy Nash's passion, which is shared by my colleague, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, whom I know Deputy Nash has worked very well with...