Results 5,001-5,020 of 26,843 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: A spokesperson for Apple testified to the US Senate that it paid 2% tax in Ireland and had negotiated that with the Irish Government. I find the explanation on ASI extraordinary. A company that made €22 billion in profit in one year and which is registered in this country only paid €10 million, or 0.5%, in tax. The Minister claimed it can do that because it is nothing to do...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: This bears much more serious debate and scrutiny. The Minister has his position and it is slightly condescending to suggest that I do not understand. The problem is that this issue lacks transparency and there is a deep reluctance to have a serious debate. Instead we are warned by the Minister that jobs will be endangered if we dare to even look at this issue. I refer to statements from...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Which are registered in Ireland.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is semantics.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: No, I understand it.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I understand perfectly. It is registered in Ireland and our legal definition conveniently suits them. It was probably negotiated with them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: As other speakers noted, Mr. Fraser cannot discuss some of the issues that must be addressed. For this reason, we need to have before us Ministers and representatives of the large corporate players which are at the centre of the growing controversy around Ireland's purported status as a tax haven. Many of us believe this country is a tax haven and this view is widely held outside the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is Mr. Fraser saying that the only discussion relating to these matters involves some representative of the Department of the Taoiseach saying we are not for moving on the 12.5% rate or we are not for introducing the financial transaction tax? Is he saying that is all that is said, that there is no further discussion about corporate tax and there are no opinions given by the representatives...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It defies credibility that these hedge fund managers, bankers and financiers attend these meetings, that they have subgroups dealing with the areas of banking, tax and so on, and that they have nothing whatsoever to say about these matters in the run-up to budgets. Is that what Mr. Fraser is saying to us?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: In the aftermath of the financial crash that hit this country and the global economy, is there any discussion about the morality of some of the activities that go on at the International Financial Services Centre?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am asking whether they discuss the morality of it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am saying there are many people who question the morality of some of the activities that go on in places like the Irish Financial Services Centre, including shadow banking, derivatives, futures and, essentially, financial speculation, given the role that they had in destabilising the global economy and indeed the role they continue to play in maintaining a high level of instability in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Does Mr. Fraser not believe it would be appropriate to have people in the Clearing House Group who might have an eye to the dangers involved in this sector?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am beginning to wonder what the private sector representatives say at these meetings. The minutes seem to suggest they say virtually nothing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I refer to a point that was made earlier. It would appear from what Mr. Fraser has said that all the real discussions are being moved off to the side to these subgroups. Mr. Fraser does not seem to know as much about them and he is unsure whether there are written reports. He said he believes there are written reports but he is unsure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I have one final question. Mr. Fraser has accepted that the Clearing House Group represents high-level access for the financial services sector or the corporate sector to the Government. The statement of strategy for the Department declares that some of the Department's priorities and the Government's stated priorities are fairness, transparency and so on. Has there been any discussion...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is there no discussion around the need for such access?

Other Questions: Private Sector Investment (23 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is the Government monitoring public private partnership agreements to ensure rights and conditions for employees are maintained? I ask this question in the context of the official pickets at the Shanganagh wastewater treatment plant yesterday. According to workers, the consortium of a Spanish multinational and an Irish building firm attempted to sack a shop steward who had sought to...

Other Questions: Private Sector Investment (23 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Does it like forests?

Other Questions: Croke Park Agreement (23 May 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Setting aside the politics of it and focusing on the process, will the Minister not pre-empt and subvert the ballot of workers which is likely to take place in the next week by demanding that amendments for this Bill are submitted by tomorrow at 11 a.m? The workers have not looked at it and neither have Members.