Results 6,161-6,180 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Written Answers — Department of Health: Prescription Charges (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: 869. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a comprehensive list of medical conditions in respect of which prescription charges do not apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19347/14]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Transport Costs (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: 874. To ask the Minister for Health when the Health Service Executive last concluded a tendering process for the provision of taxi services in Cork City and County; when the next tendering process is due to commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19370/14]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: 878. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding an application for a transfer by a Health Service Executive employee (details supplied) currently based in County Waterford in view of the exceptional circumstances that apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19378/14]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: 912. To ask the Minister for Health the plans the Health Service Executive has for upgrading the paediatric unit at Cork University Hospital; the plans to improve the facilities at the hospital for children with cystic fibrosis; the current staffing levels within the unit to deal with children with cystic fibrosis; if there are any plans to increase these levels; if there is access to a child...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: I welcome Mr. O'Connor, Mr. Lehane and their colleagues to the meeting and thank them for forwarding their opening remarks in advance in order that we could have the opportunity to go through them. I will start with the issue of Mr. O'Connor's disappointment with the comments made by some of the creditors at the recent finance committee hearings here. We can name names, we all know who they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: That was Ulster Bank's position.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: I thank Mr. O'Connor for that reply. He is saying that the banks will realise that it is in their commercial interests to sign up to a PIA in certain circumstances because the debtor holds the ace card of the bankruptcy option in reserve. However, that is contrary to the spirit of what was intended in the legislation. We do not want debtors threatening to go down the road of bankruptcy or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: I will move on to a few other issues. The ISI has set out reasonable living expense guidelines, which play an important role in deciding whether a debtor is able to avail of an arrangement. Where a debtor has an income that is below the level of reasonable living expenses, is it the case that he or she cannot avail of one of the arrangements? PIPs seem to be claiming that, ironically,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: I agree entirely and am not in any way suggesting that the guidelines' figures be changed. However, I am hearing from some PIPs that a sizable proportion of the people approaching them will not be able to avail of DSAs or PIAs because they have no financial capacity to make additional contributions to their debts. This is a problem. Mr. O'Connor has mentioned other options. For example,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: Is Mr. O'Connor satisfied with how the system of fees charged by PIPs is working? In certain cases, upfront fees are being charged. For some people, does this place a barrier to accessing a system that they need?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: I know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: I will move on to the issue of a family home in a bankruptcy scenario. A list of scenarios was helpfully provided in Appendix 1. It is difficult for people to get their heads around this issue when facing the stressful decision of whether to apply for bankruptcy. I put a point to Mr. Ross Maguire when he appeared before the committee a number of weeks ago. He advocated bankruptcy as a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: I thank Mr. Lehane.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: My question is for Mr. O'Connor. From the point of view of a debtor, the personal insolvency practitioners, PIPs, are licensed by the Insolvency Service of Ireland. Debt management firms are licensed and regulated by the Central Bank; therefore, if borrowers in distress go to a PIP for advice, it is inevitable that he or she will try to direct them towards an insolvency arrangement. If...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Insolvency Service of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: It may involve the debt management firms coming within the ISI's remit instead of that of the Central Bank.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Central Bank of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: I welcome the Governor, Professor Honohan. During the course of our hearings with the banks in recent weeks, when we collated all of the data which were being presented, it became clear that in excess of 30,000 individual mortgage arrears cases were either in the legal process or had a threatening legal letter issued by their bank. It seems, from looking at the figures, that while the banks...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Central Bank of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: I suppose the point is that in the lead-up to the targets programme being introduced, there were not many of these letters being issued.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Central Bank of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: One might say there were not enough of them being issued.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Central Bank of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: But then the targets were set and, all of a sudden, there was a gush, with tens of thousands of these letters being issued by the banks. Professor Honohan said they did not do so just to meet the targets, but the consequence has been that they have met the targets because they have issued so many threatening legal letters. Professor Honohan might argue they had to be issued anyway.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (Resumed): Central Bank of Ireland (30 Apr 2014)

Michael McGrath: May I raise the issue of consistency of treatment, which the Chairman raised with the Governor? There are dramatic inconsistencies between the various banks and their approaches to mortgage arrears with individual customers. The outcome for somebody in arrears seems very much to depend on what bank he or she is with. We are witnessing that in regard to the policy on debt forgiveness, for...