Results 5,381-5,400 of 7,412 for speaker:Neasa Hourigan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: The Parliamentary Budget Office, PBO, briefing was very helpful and TASC's report was incredibly useful. This is complex and there is a lot at play. One thing I am trying to understand is the renewed or increased focus on the expenditure benchmark. Am I right in that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: I have been trying to understand what that means. There is a sense where we are leaving some metrics behind and there is then a new focus on this, and this seems to be quite central to some of those new measurements. However, it seems that we are still running into that issue around relatively imprecise forecasting that is based to some degree on future growth. I think in Ireland we all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Might that have a knock-on effect in terms of tax reliefs or tax expenditures that governments might choose that might incentivise them to do that? Would there be a concern for Ireland, considering we already have tax expenditures of approximately €7.1 billion and we have heard from other committees that we do not necessary do a good job in the governance of those tax expenditures?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: I will stay in the same area but I wish to raise something that Senator Higgins raised as well. I know that some of this is still in play and still being discussed. I hope that there will be some kind of measure in place to incentivise green capital investment or expenditure and to allow some kind of exclusion for it. To some extent, TASC dealt with it a little bit with two of the options,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: That process sounds pretty open-ended. Considering that some of the criticism of the fiscal rules related to the uncertainty on the metrics, I notice that the TASC report calls out the constant revisions of methodology in things like - I know we are getting rid of it - the structural balance. I can only imagine that when a partnership aspect with national governments is introduced, it would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: These changes are not earth shattering. They are tweaks and it sounds like a partnership approach to similar rules that existed previously. There is still a lot to play for. We just talked about the green agenda stuff. It is not clear to me what Ireland's role is at the moment in asking for things. We know that Italy is looking for green exclusions and Spain may also be. I do not want...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Just to be clear,-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: I absolutely accept that. However, in Dr. Sweeney's estimation, is it the role of the Minister for Finance to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: It is not the role of IFAC.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Road Safety (4 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: 10. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the implementation of camera enforcement as part of the BusConnects programme; if this measure will be brought forward as part of a road safety strategy by his Department, as outlined to the Oireachtas Committee of Public Accounts in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20240/23]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Road Safety (4 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: 24. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on progress since November 2022 on the implementation of red light cameras across the road traffic network and the stated commitment to further develop camera-based enforcement by An Garda Síochána, including at junctions and for management of bus and cycle lanes; and if he will make a statement on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Road Safety (4 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Will the Minister provide an update on the implementation of camera enforcement as part of the upcoming BusConnects programme and if this measure will be brought forward as part of a road safety strategy by his Department as outlined to us at the Oireachtas Committee of Public Accounts in 2022?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Road Safety (4 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Can I ask the Minister of State for some clarification on that because this is obviously an issue on which I have gone back and forth quite a good deal with the Department? I have had at least seven or eight engagements with the Department on the issue in the past 18 months or so. In June 2022, we were told that legislative measures might or will be required in due course. In September...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Road Safety (4 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: It is very useful and good to know that there is a working group in place and that progress is being made. Could we get some more information around that working group, because one of the issues which arose in the Committee of Public Accounts is the fact that, like so much in transport, it falls between a number of agencies? Am I to take it the NTA is the lead point and will provide the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (4 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: The company Indeed recently announced a cut to its global workforce that will see 200 of its Irish workers facing redundancy. Numerous constituents have been in touch with me about their treatment. They told me about individual consultations with senior leadership who had no answer to basic questions; that people were given one hour's notice to engage in those one-on-one consultations even...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules: TASC (3 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Okay. I would like to move on a bit. Regarding this adjustment path, let us hope we never see it. It sounds more like a partnership, working with countries. That would require somebody in the country who will work hand in hand on, for example, data analysis. Do we envisage that being the Department of Finance? There has been some suggestion that it might be the version of the Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Risk Management (4 May 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: 154. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department still supports the statement in the environmental impact assessment report to the River Bride (Blackpool) certified drainage scheme that flooding in Blackpool is primarily fluvial; if restricting the river channel in Blackpool by constructing hard flood defences will also restrict pluvial flow; if the scheme has been...