Results 4,121-4,140 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Local Property Tax: Discussion with Revenue (7 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: This is one of the problems of asking questions in an omnibus fashion. I will take the Chairman's advice in future. I made reference to the 35% who had made all of their bank details available and to the reference in the legislation to the tax being due on or before 1 January. This appears to be the stick being used to beat those who have not given all their bank details. How can the law...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Local Property Tax: Discussion with Revenue (7 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: If I have a question for you, Chairman, I will ask it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Local Property Tax: Discussion with Revenue (7 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: It should be in Cork.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (7 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: I welcome Mr. Carrigan and his colleagues. I have two questions. In the context of the recent crisis in Cyprus we saw a hit on deposit holders. Where does the establishment of the single resolution mechansim-resolution fund leave the issue of the deposit guarantee?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (7 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: That extends to all deposit holders regardless of whether they EU citizens or form outside the EU.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (7 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: My second question relates to the accountability of this board to the Commission, the Parliament and domestic parliaments. Has that been considered?

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (12 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: 498. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the eligibility criteria for a couple over 70 years for a medical card is no longer double that of the single applicant over 70 as was previous custom and practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48369/13]

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: It takes some neck that the last speaker, who effectively emasculated the 1997 legislation in 2003, would come in to lecture us about the effectiveness or otherwise of what is proposed. Having said that, I think members have been put in somewhat of an invidious position because of the late changes announced by the Minister in his amendments in recent days. It does, to some extent, make it...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: I go back to my original observation. There is an issue at stake in respect of the fees and the Minister has outlined his position. It is not impossible for us to do two things simultaneously, one of which is to proceed with the consideration of Committee Stage because we are unlikely to reach the relevant section today anyway.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: I have seen the observations made by the National Union of Journalists, NUJ, and others. They are vague and all encompassing, but they do not substantiate their concerns in any great detail. It is not impossible for us at the same time to assimilate the views, and to have it circulated to members and consider it, by the time we reach the Committee Stage dealing with amendments to section...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: Yes.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: I will revert to Deputy Sean Fleming's point on school transport and the Minister's concession that some of that material will now be subject to FOI legislation. That is welcome, as the more extensive the scope of the legislation, the better. Some of the issues about commercial semi-State bodies that we are discussing are interesting. On a future date it is likely that we will acknowledge...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: Does the Minister have information on the level of requests that come from journalists as opposed to non-journalistic sources?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: Is that 15% of the non-personal requests, which is 70% of the total?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: Half of the requests are personal.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: Is it 15% of the non-fee paying requests?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: I concur with the Minister's observations in respect of it cutting across the appeals process. The amendment is equally dangerous in so far as it seeks to involve the Minister in politicising access to freedom of information requests and determination of such requests "in consultation with the Minister". That would be flawed. There is merit in what Deputy McDonald argues and the...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: This was one of the areas I had flagged in my own notes. It struck me that one person's frivolous and vexatious issue may be another's burning issue of public interest. In so far as possible, I think we should avoid subjective decision-making on such matters. One of the freedom of information requests the Minister cited yesterday sought the menu for every lunch and dinner at the Irish...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: That does look like a pretty vexatious or frivolous request. It comes back to the information officer's code of practice. It is a pity we do not have that code concurrent with the legislation because it would inform us better.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)

Michael Creed: We have the bones of the legislation, by and large, and that should contain some reference to a public interest being served. In many respects, that would mitigate against the worst excesses of a subjective interpretation of "frivolous" and "vexatious".