Results 2,201-2,220 of 12,318 for speaker:Paul Murphy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and Mr. Séamas Ó Tuathail, SC (25 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: I have a final question and perhaps other members can follow up this matter. The Department has claimed that it is not possible for Irish Water, as things currently stand, to dispose of assets, transfer them or borrow against them in such a way that the assets held by Irish Water would be reduced. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and Mr. Séamas Ó Tuathail, SC (25 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: That seems contrary to the memorandum and constitution of Irish Water.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and Mr. Séamas Ó Tuathail, SC (25 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: It seems to me that there are multiple articles within the constitution of Irish Water that enable it to transfer, with ministerial permission but I will leave it there for the moment.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (26 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: 179. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of greyhounds and other dogs exported to EU and non-EU countries in 2016 and to date in 2017; and the action he will take to cease the export of Irish greyhounds to Pakistan for use in coursing. [3585/17]

Order of Business (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: This is the Dáil. An event of immense importance has happened over the course of the weekend. Millions of people are being denied access to America by a racist Muslim ban and it has happened to at least one person on Irish soil so we have to have a debate. A motion is all very well but we have no interest in signing up to an all-party motion which will say a cúpla focal of...

Order of Business (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: He was not able to go to America.

Topical Issue Debate: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: There are some very courageous men and their families in the Visitors Gallery. These are the men who suffered, along with others, the horrific sexual abuse in the late 1960s and who have had the courage to speak out and campaign about it despite all the difficulties they have faced along every avenue they have tried to go down. This is a very distressing issue, as one realises when one...

Topical Issue Debate: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: The Minister did not write that answer, but it is shameful to hide behind such a narrow interpretation of the O'Keeffe ruling. Ms Louise O'Keeffe has commented on the matter of the prior complaint against the abuser in question. She has stated that there is no legal basis for suggesting that it is necessary to establish a prior sexual abuse before one can succeed. This is simply not the...

Topical Issue Debate: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: At least meet them to explain that.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Grants (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: 161. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria that is used in means testing applicants for grants and assistance under the Secondary Education Committee fund; the different level of grants potentially awarded to applicants and other relevant rules related to the fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3764/17]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: I thank the Commissioner. In general I am not a fan of the European Commission. However, the Commissioner plays a very useful role in this area because she can probably understand and see from the questions that, politically, the ruling caused the Government and the Fianna Fáil Party a lot of difficulty to explain the rationale for using public money to fight the case and not to have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: I will now move on to the arguments put forward by the Government, echoes of which Ms Vestager has heard today. One of the key arguments made by the Government is that none of this money is really owed to Ireland anyway and that by the time other European countries get their hands on their share and profits are repatriated to the US, there will be nothing left. Is it Ms Vestager's opinion...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: Is it also the case, contrary to what the Government originally argued, that the money could be used, within the fiscal rules, for capital expenditure and would not have to be spent on paying down the national debt?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: The Government tried to claim that even if we got the €13 billion we would have to spend it all immediately on paying down the national debt under the fiscal rules. That is simply not accurate, no?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: It depends on whether they are really one's debts or those of European banks that were foisted on one by the Commission through the ECB.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: Another key argument was that Ireland could not be expected to be the world's policeman on tax. How could Ireland collect taxes for the entire world? Is Ireland being asked to be the world's policeman on tax?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: There was a particular moment, a well-crafted and smart moment, when the Irish Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, picked up his iPhone, turned it around and pointed out that it said designed in California and manufactured in China. He claimed that this meant that any profits accrued were not owed to Ireland. Ms Vestager probably knows that we recorded a growth rate of 26% in one...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: I shall quote from Apple's 10-K form for the tax year ending September 2015. It notes: "Substantially all of the company’s undistributed international earnings intended to be indefinitely reinvested in operations outside the US were generated by subsidiaries organized in Ireland." The way Apple has chosen to organise is that all of the company's undistributed international earnings...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU State Aid Rules - Investigation into Preferential Tax Rulings: European Commissioner for Competition (31 Jan 2017)

Paul Murphy: Does the Commissioner think there are other corporations, presumably major multinationals like Apple, that have similar specific deals with the Irish Government?