Results 261-280 of 332 for speaker:Shay Brennan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Is the ISIF now fully divested from the companies on the UN Human Rights Council’s database?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Are there plans to continue with those holdings?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: With regard to the fraud case, it was mentioned that €1.54 million was recovered. How can money be partially recovered? Is it the bank in question that contributed to that? Should it not be fully recovered or not recovered at all?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Okay. That is fair enough. Has there been any other such fraud in any of the NTMA bodies or NewERA companies in recent years?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: While I am conscious there is no one from NewERA present, of the 24 companies, from looking at the balance sheets, it seems that there is a substantial amount of cash and debt. Has any thought ever been given to an inter-company centralised treasury operation to offset one against the other across the companies?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Staff bonuses rose 13% to €3.22 million. What KPIs drive variable pay?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: I found the name of that agency; it is the Office to Promote Competition in the Insurance Market. It should have been on the tip of my tongue. Does the alliance appreciate that despite calling for additional resources for that body, it cannot do anything to affect the size of the Irish market? If market size is the key problem here, we might need to look at other potential solutions, for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: This is a problem across the financial services industry in general. There is a lack of competition in the banking sector as well. Measures will have to be taken in order to address that. Would the alliance see insurance rolling up in that? Does it believe there is potentially a broader solution in the financial services sector, or would it prefer to push for a single insurance solution?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: Mr. Jennings will find that part of the reason we are having this committee hearing today is to attempt to join our witnesses in that fightback. We are seeking to find out where the problems actually are and what we need to deal with them. That takes me to my next point. Mr. Jennings touched on the lack of willingness from the insurance companies to engage. It seems to me, as I look at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: I apologise for interrupting. This is exactly what I am trying to get at here. The simple solution from the outside would be to halve the profits, halve the premiums and all get on with this. Is there something in their books, such as the reinsurance or investment problems, that means they cannot do that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: As Deputy Timmins was saying, I do not think we should shy away from that collaboration question. I know we do not have privilege or-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: I will move on to questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: That is fair enough. There are two things in relation to the alliance itself. The alliance is a major body, with close to 1 million members from the statistics given by the witnesses earlier. It seems to me that there is scope for the alliance to do certain things as well. One would be something along the lines of communication regarding the IRB and the need to try to avoid the courts,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: I thank Mr. Hanley and Mr. Jennings. I have a series of questions here covering a couple of areas. I will just try to maybe stick to one area and, when I come back in, I will move on to the next area. The witnesses are pointing to a lack of competition as a problem here. I fully agree with them. If there was more competition, it certainly seems to be something that could help unlock...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: I understand that but there are not many explanations that make all of this tally. If we cannot go into it then so be it. Ireland is a small market and people know each other. Nothing has been proven so-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: When you have one underwriter, they are a monopoly, essentially. Is there any evidence that additional super-normal profits are being made in that area where there is only one underwriter, above and beyond the industry in general?

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Energy Policy (8 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: 181. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on his policy regarding the establishment of a strategic gas reserve; if private companies will be considered as part of the delivery or operation of this reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46738/25]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Energy Policy (8 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: 182. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if comprehensive environmental assessments have been undertaken on proposals from private companies to operate or host Ireland’s strategic gas reserve; the status of such applications or assessments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46739/25]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Energy Policy (8 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: 183. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the criteria being used to determine whether the State, private companies, or a mixture of both should operate or develop strategic gas storage infrastructure; and if he will comment on the transparency of the decision-making process. [46740/25]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Energy Policy (8 Sep 2025)

Shay Brennan: 184. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to list the stakeholders, including private companies, community groups and industry, that have been consulted on the future of gas storage and liquid natural gas in Ireland in 2024 and 2025; and to confirm if feedback from these groups will inform final policy. [46741/25]