Results 2,181-2,200 of 2,274 for speaker:Richard O'Donoghue

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Quarterly Economic Commentary: Economic and Social Research Institute (15 Jul 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I understand what Dr. O'Toole is saying but it is not happening. Wages are rising with inflation, but it is coming back full circle. If you are an employer, and the price of something has gone up, you still have a basic 6% margin on your business, regardless. When inflation goes up, you still have the 6% margin and you have to make sure your business can run. To break that cycle,...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Quarterly Economic Commentary: Economic and Social Research Institute (15 Jul 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: We have time and I have guests in as well so what I am going to do, and I am going to stick to it this time, is allow four minutes for questions and answers. I am going to pull members at four minutes to allow other people to get in. Deputy Timmins has four minutes.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Quarterly Economic Commentary: Economic and Social Research Institute (15 Jul 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: If the Deputy takes less time, that is fine.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Quarterly Economic Commentary: Economic and Social Research Institute (15 Jul 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: We can allow another question in a minute. I have another question. I want quick answers, if possible. On wind turbines, there are so many legal challenges against wind turbines at the moment because of the knock-on effect of guidelines. Wind turbines that were put up 15 years ago were only 80 m or 100 m high. They are coming to the end of their shelf life now. A new wind turbine cannot...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Quarterly Economic Commentary: Economic and Social Research Institute (15 Jul 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: These energy companies have received funding from Government. There was €280 million given in subsidies for 28 wind turbines. When they did a business case to build those wind turbines, it did not make economic sense for them to be built unless they were given funding of €280 million to do that. Tomorrow morning, these companies could walk away after getting all these...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Quarterly Economic Commentary: Economic and Social Research Institute (15 Jul 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: Exactly. The turnover for businesses is up at the moment but when it comes to their profits that are being taxed, their profits are down. I refer to the trajectory of those taxes at the moment. I am in business and have seen the projections in recent years. My turnover is up but my profits are down because of different changes, year on year. You could be in a fixed price contract and...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Quarterly Economic Commentary: Economic and Social Research Institute (15 Jul 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I have a final question that might be for Dr. Keane. She spoke about lower income families. I am talking about the middle income families where both people in the household are working and in good jobs. They say to me that they are both working and paying their way. They have children to go to college. Their costs are going up and they now see people who are not as well off as they are...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Quarterly Economic Commentary: Economic and Social Research Institute (15 Jul 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I have one last question related to rising inflation. The proposed 9% VAT rate that I hope will come in would allow businesses to not increase their costs, ensuring that a family break, for example, does not cost more for the consumer. It has been shown that holidays are at the back of the list. People are seeing they cannot afford to go on holidays or breaks or to dinner. Based on a...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Quarterly Economic Commentary: Economic and Social Research Institute (15 Jul 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: As there are no other questions, that concludes this session. I thank our witnesses, Dr. Claire Keane, associate research professor; Dr. Conor O'Toole , associate research professor; Dr. Paul Egan, research officer; and Dr. Muireann Lynch, senior research officer, for attending the meeting and answering all our questions. The meeting now stands adjourned.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I ask everyone to turn off their mobile phones and devices or put them on silent. Before we begin, I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practice of the House with regard to references that may be made to other persons in the witnesses' evidence. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the presentations they make to the committee. This...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank Dr. Barrett. I will now open the meeting for questions. I call Deputy Ged Nash.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank Dr. Keane and call Deputy Devlin.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: Deputy Devlin, you are going over time. Dr. O'Toole can answer that one.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I will take this slot myself. I come from a construction background and have been in it all my life. Common sense is not that common. A definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I am delighted that this has been set up but the one thing that you have never got to is this question. With all the taxes that people pay and the funding...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: If we had a template from one to ten across the board where there had been overruns in, for example, health infrastructure, and we came back here next year for our pre-budget meeting, we could stand in this room and say we were here last year and this is where we were at. This year, we have adopted something. We cannot fix it all overnight. Anyone who thinks he or she can is a fool....

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: We will keep it non-political if we can.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: No accountability.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the witnesses for coming. They mentioned Dublin Airport and the budget being on time. Before implementing the new extension to runway operations at Dublin Airport, it would have been better to have filled the other airports in this country - such as those in Shannon and Cork - to capacity. Without turning a sod, Cork Airport could cater for a further 3.5 million passengers. Shannon...

Special Education School Places: Motion [Private Members] (17 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: I have just spent two long days at the ploughing championships with Independent Ireland. We have had people of all ages and from all walks of life with different problems coming into the tent to talk to us about concerns they have and looking for support. We had people with children with special needs come into us and ask us what had gone wrong and what they could do to help. Why are the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Sep 2025)

Richard O'Donoghue: My question concerns the health implications of wind farms. My journey regarding the health implications of wind farms started in Coolcappa over two years ago. Recently we had meetings in Bruff, Dromin, Athlacca and Bruree about wind turbines and how local authorities have no input into wind turbines. They are now considered to be strategic infrastructure, which means they go straight to...