Results 61,141-61,160 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I will ask about GNI*, GNP and GDP, alongside each other. How do we rate at present in terms of all three, knowing that we did not believe the GDP and GNP figures? To what extent are those three measurements in concert with each other at the present time?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: To go back to our reliance on taxes on corporation profits, to what extent does IFAC view the 15% corporation tax rate that has been mooted in debates in recent times as speculative? The final figure might be 13% or 13.5% as a bigger increase than that might disturb projections across the globe to an extent that might be unforeseen.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Will we see, for instance, repatriation of companies across the globe? I do not envisage that but I am a modest observer and I do not know. However, it seems improbable that the impact on individual companies would be such that it would damage the companies to a totally unnecessary extent. The yield might not necessarily compensate for that. What is IFAC's view?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Is there a danger that we might create a self-fulfilling prophecy, since this issue has preoccupied our thinking for some years? Various people around the globe have spoken as if they had intimate knowledge of the damage Irish corporation tax was doing to the international economy in the last century. It was found at the peak of the economic crash that a number of other countries had...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Is there a danger that if we, in this country, were to conclude that we had to change, other countries would decide that because Ireland had made this particular change, they would no longer need to campaign for it? Would we damage the attractiveness of Ireland as a location for foreign direct investment, even though we need FDI on an ongoing basis?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: My final question relates to whether it is possible that a global increase in corporation tax across could bring about changes that are not anticipated at this stage, that are not desirable from the point of view of the growing economies and that may not necessarily yield the benefits anticipated in some quarters? Keeping in mind that a repatriation of all US-based companies may benefit the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Would Mr. Barnes agree that the economy's ability to expand and recover presents the best possible option in the context of delivery in the short to medium term? I refer to prolonging the time required for the recovery of the economy by stunting its growth now. I venture that it is most essential for the economy to recover quickly, get up to full speed and into the business of delivery. If...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Protected Disclosure Legislation: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome our guests. A total of 12% of cases were successful, while 88% were unsuccessful. On what basis were the 12% successful? Was there a general theme or was there a variety of reasons? What was the most common reason for the unsuccessful cases being unsuccessful? There have been suggestions that public servants do not wish to take decisions, refuse to take decisions or delay...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Protected Disclosure Legislation: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: How is the veracity of a case checked in the initial stages? For instance, a case could be vexatious or it could be a deeply serious case that requires urgent investigation. How is one case weighed against another? How are the rights and entitlements of the accused balanced against those of the accuser?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Protected Disclosure Legislation: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I will mention in passing that our Constitution is slightly different to those of other countries, some of which have no constitution at all, including our next-door neighbours. The UK has the Magna Carta but it is not the same thing. The constitutional entitlements of the individual are particularly important in this country, or at least some of us think they are. Their rights must be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Protected Disclosure Legislation: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I have several questions that arise from some of the answers but we will not go through them all today. I have dealt with cases that were before the courts and the WRC. I will not go through them all. I want to refer in particular to cases in which the interpersonal relationships within an organisation are particularly repugnant to an individual. A victim may have to suffer for a...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister of State for appearing before the committee and for his address. I have a couple of questions on various sectors. Is the CSO satisfied with the resources available to it to carry out its job, which is expanding? Has it the structures and finances to deal with the upcoming situation?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Is the CSO satisfied with the quality of facilities available to it and the quality of the product it produces in the Irish and European contexts, in which respect it has ongoing requirements? It appears that the CSO will have an expanded role. Has it done the necessary forward planning to accommodate such a requirement?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: In light of the recent cyberattack, how protected is the CSO? Have there been previous attempts? Has the CSO taken specific precautions, given it has at its disposal a considerable bank of statistics?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (3 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: My final question is on the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, and the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. Are they satisfied their technology is up to date? Have particular shortcomings been flagged? If so, what is being done about them?

Ceisteanna - Questions: British-Irish Co-operation (15 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: 3. To ask the Taoiseach the outcome of discussions he has had with the British Prime Minister with regard to the impact of Brexit, the Northern Ireland protocol and the degree to which all parties have seen possibilities for resolution of outstanding issues arising from Brexit . [27952/21]

Ceisteanna - Questions: British-Irish Co-operation (15 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Taoiseach for his comprehensive reply. Does he remain satisfied regarding the sincerity of the British Government in undertaking to ensure that the letter and spirit of the Northern protocol are accepted and implemented in full? There are things happening on an ongoing basis that appear to undermine the protocol. At the same time, the protocol seems to be blamed for any issue...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Financial Services (15 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: 59. To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which he continues to explore ways and means to offset any negativity arising from Brexit with reference to banking and financial services here; if specific issues have arisen which might need corrective attention in the short and medium terms; if Ireland as an EU and euro state member can expect to flourish in the context of banking and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Financial Services (15 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: This question relates to the extent, if any, to which Brexit may have impacted positively or negatively on banking and financial services in this country.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Financial Services (15 Jun 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. Does he foresee continued interest in potential relocation to this jurisdiction given we remain a member of the European Union? It was anticipated at an earlier stage that there would be fairly substantial relocation from the UK to this country. Has that happened and is it likely to happen?