Results 641-660 of 881 for speaker:Peter Power
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: Putting the audit committee on a statutory basis reflects the fact that audit committees of other Departments have a statutory basis too. It gives some form of protection or architecture within which the audit committee can operate which is necessary because of the nature of its work and the sort of world we live in now. This is deemed to be good and best practice. This is not to suggest...
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: I know the Senator will make that case to the electorate in the next general election. We should not, therefore, unduly restrict the pool of talent from which qualified, willing candidates can be drawn. In the circumstances, the Minister cannot accept the amendment but he understands the logic behind it.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: That would be a very difficult situation.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: No. It simply places the committee on a statutory footing.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: It is there to advise the Secretary General and then report to the board. These are two very different things.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: The request is certainly noted. Note will be taken of what Senator O'Toole said, not least because of his experience in this area. I do not think I will be embarrassed by the comments I made in my reply on Second Stage. I was making the point that because the Senator was reading from a code of practice which applies to a different corporate entity, this does not mean seriatim that it must...
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: That is another issue. The boards of many plcs and corporate entities have finance committees. It serves to illustrate the point that every entity is different. The reason the Minister cannot accept the amendment is because of its wording and the power it gives to the Secretary General. The Minister considers the amendment inappropriate in the case of the Secretary General, and...
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: I accept that.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: There are two points. We have discussed the distinction between reporting and advising. The point the Senator makes about reporting on an ongoing or regular basis is well made. The audit committee has the function to report on an annual basis but is not prevented from reporting on an interim or ad hoc basis as matters arise. As the Senator correctly asks, is there any point in advising...
- Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: Last year the Government provided a total budget of â¬920 million on Official Development Assistance (ODA). This represented approximately 0.59 % of our Gross National Product (GNP), making Ireland the sixth most generous aid donor internationally in per capita terms. This year, the Government had to take the regrettable decision to reduce the allocation for ODA. Total ODA is expected to...
- Financial Resolution No.5: General (Resumed). Debate resumed on the following motion: (10 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: He provided â¬30 million funding on that day.
- Overseas Development Aid. (15 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: In the budget for 2010, the Government has provided a total allocation for official development assistance of â¬671 million. Of this total, some â¬536 million will be administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and a further estimated â¬135 million will come from other Departments and Ireland's share of the EU development co-operation budget. This represents a relatively small...
- Overseas Development Aid. (15 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: We are simply reflecting the economic reality in which the country currently finds itself. Since 2005, we have been striving to reach the UN target of 0.7% by 2012, which is three years earlier than any other country in the EU. We are therefore three years ahead of the EU's commitment in this regard. However, this commitment was made in very different circumstances. The 2012 commitment...
- Overseas Development Aid. (15 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: To repeat the position, if we were to reach the 0.7% target by 2012 we would have had to borrow an additional â¬150 million this year. Politics does not enter into this but-----
- Overseas Development Aid. (15 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: Yes, but does that mean we are justified in borrowing â¬650 million just to reach a target which is arithmetically not possible at this stage? The Deputy and I both agree that the overseas aid programme is accepted and lauded internationally. We have stabilised it at 0.52%, which is ahead of the EU-15's target at this stage. With regard to the Deputy's additional point, the Taoiseach made...
- Overseas Development Aid. (15 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: The Taoiseach made a commitment that we would provide â¬100 million towards a â¬2.5 billion EU commitment for fast-track financing.
- Overseas Development Aid. (15 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: I was in Copenhagen yesterday and that EU position was seen as being of strong, proactive leadership. In the context of a European Council meeting, the Taoiseach made the point that the breakdown of that will be a matter for a Government decision. However, it will have a real and substantial new additional element to it.
- Debt Relief. (15 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: Ireland has played an important role internationally on the issue of the alleviation of the debt burden on developing countries. The Government's policy strategy was prepared jointly by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Finance, and was launched in 2002. It supports the total cancellation of the debts of the world's poorest countries. A joint review of this strategy...
- Debt Relief. (15 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: This money is considered part of official development assistance, ODA, and is counted towards the targets we discussed previously. On the review, I expect -----
- Debt Relief. (15 Dec 2009)
Peter Power: The Deputy must appreciate this is a significant contribution to a massive global fund. Many of these countries want to develop, but cannot because they cannot get access to the international capital and bond markets because of their heavy debt burdens. By forgiving this debt, albeit with conditions which ensure they have the capacity and power to maintain sustainable financial economies in...