Results 6,561-6,580 of 10,591 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I wish apologise to Deputy Doherty, the other Members of the House and the Acting Chairman. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is not available because he is at a Cabinet meeting. He sends his apologies. I was asked to take Committee and Remaining Stages of the Bill at the last minute. As the Deputy will appreciate, I only became aware of the size of the Bill late in the day. I am most...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I can inform the Deputy that we are at that stage now. The 60% threshold has been reached. The Deputy also asked about Ireland's maximum financial commitment. It is €164.7 million.

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have to apologise to the House about the mechanics. My officials are sitting quite far away. I ask Members to bear with me. The commitment refers to the proportion of the holding in the EIB. Deputy Doherty asked when the measure would be triggered in the event of a default on a loan. It will happen once there is a default and the calls on the member states are in proportion to their...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: With regard to the first part of the Deputy's question, I do not have difficulty with how it is proposed to take Committee Stage. If it is more helpful to Deputy Doherty that he hears directly from the Department of Finance officials, I do not have difficulty with that.

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have no difficulty agreeing to a short suspension of the House if there are specific questions on the remainder of the Bill that Deputy Doherty wants to raise with the officials. I do not have a difficulty with that. I appreciate the Acting Chairman's tolerance. I literally became aware of this as a result of what the Deputy alluded to earlier, that is, the changing of Minsters within...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: Unfortunately, I cannot-----

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I can be led by the House. I have no difficulty with that.

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: A short suspension would be helpful to give me an opportunity to discuss it with my officials and I can talk to the Deputies as well. I apologise for the fact there is a Cabinet meeting and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, could not be here. Deputy Doherty referred to the reconfiguration of the Department today. The timing could not be more unfortunate. We know and I recognise, having...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Acting Chairman and the other Deputies for facilitating the brief interruption where we were able to discuss with officials some of the issues raised by Deputy Pearse Doherty. In relation to the issues Deputy Doherty raised, particularly around the start of the point, the Deputy is correct that the percentage of the fund that will be available to SMEs is not necessarily that...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: Unfortunately, the Deputy probably knows the answer before I give it. The legislation applies to those companies that are domiciled, registered and fulfil every other legal requirement in this jurisdiction. I do not disagree with anything he has said about people being taken out of the European Union against their will but, unfortunately, this is a European Union instrument. The instrument...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: On the Deputy's initial point about this Bill being patriarchal, I do not disagree with the sentiments she has expressed. In fact, criticism of the lethargy with which the European Union's institutions responded to Covid is very justifiable. Member states and Members of this House have made such criticisms. The Deputy is quite right. It has taken a long time. Perhaps it took the...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: Deputy Healy-Rae is correct; we can access funding in the same way. Many of the infrastructural projects that are under way are funded by European Investment Bank funding. He will know from the national development plan that we have €116 billion worth of a plan over a period. Some of the funding will come from the Exchequer, some of it will be borrowed, some of it will come from the...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I understand that it will be worked out together between the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys.

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: Yes.

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I appreciate and accept the frustration that the Deputy has expressed. It is not a position that I am overly enamoured with either but the Business Committee set out to try to put in place the legislative agenda between now and the recess. This Bill was identified as priority legislation. Although I could be wrong, it is my understanding that it was so identified in the absence of a...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: In response to Deputy Doherty and to reinforce what I said earlier, this scheme is designed to be available to European Union countries. He is absolutely right that the United Kingdom has made the decision to withdraw but that does not negate its need to look after the people within its own jurisdiction. Deputy Doherty, being from an Ulster constituency, is very cognisant of the people who,...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: They can be taken together.

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputies. I will start with the pubs. I have a vested interest as I have family members who are publicans. There are mixed views on this and it is probably not something to get involved in this evening. With regard to the tourism element, and I was formerly a Minister of State with responsibility for tourism, it plays a major role in the economy of the country. It is in every...

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I know, but I want to respond out of courtesy to the Deputies because, in fairness, they have waited. With regard to the capital investment that both Deputies referred to, I can highlight a positive example that was completed in the last 12 months in Athea in my constituency. While there are many waiting, some have been delivered.

Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: Unfortunately, I cannot accept Deputy Doherty's first amendment. We had a discussion during the interruption. Article 11 of the SURE regulation states that member states' guarantees must be irrevocable, unconditional and on demand. The proposed amendment would in effect make the SURE guarantee agreement signed by Ireland a conditional rather than an unconditional one, as is required. It...