Results 6,941-6,960 of 26,897 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Does Coillte use sampling for assessment purposes?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is that a diplomatic way of saying that if we can get the awareness and the knowledge out there, we can shift Government policy? Mr. Murphy made the point earlier that he is led to a considerable extent by Government policy. In other words, does the change in culture and attributes and a particular emphasis on forestry have to come from us and the Government for things to change with Coillte?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The last question was on Coillte's contribution to afforestation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Coillte has repeated its contention that it cannot do anything because it does not get the grants and, therefore, can only facilitate private farmers. Of course, Coillte should play its role in that regard. Does Coillte honestly believe, however, that the number of private farmers contributing to afforestation will be sufficient to meet the targets and objectives we should have of reaching...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The short-term target is 17%. There is an aspiration, which has been outlined, to at least reach the European average. It is crazy not to aspire to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I do, but with agro-forestry and the other approaches, we can do it. Is there any way around this problem?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I favour that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Issues (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 3. To ask the Minister for Finance his views on whether the deepening housing shortage, rapidly rising rents and property prices and the National Assets Management Agencies plans for large-scale sell-offs of its property portfolio to multinational asset managers and property investors represent a macroeconomic danger and may have serious implications for the public finances; and if he will...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Issues (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: For some time, I have been trying to ring the alarm bells about the dangerous and flawed approach of the Minister and the Government to the housing and property sector. In dealing with other Ministers, I pointed out that it is leading to an emergency in the area of homelessness and the social crisis, but I also believe that it represents a serious threat to the macroeconomic health of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Issues (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Minister shows an unwillingness to acknowledge the seriousness of the issue. It is not just about absolute levels of property prices or rents; it is about the dramatic increase in property prices over the past few months. Property prices in Dublin have risen by 23% in the past 12 months, by 12.9% in the past three months and since 2012, when the market bottomed out, prices have...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Issues (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Irish Timestoday ran a headline which asked whether it was time to take a punt on Irish property again. Does this not concern the Minister or for that matter the Taoiseach in going to New York and talking about how property investors should come to Dublin because they could make a killing in the Dublin property market? To start to treat and incentivise speculation in property after the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Issues (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Minister is not building any.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Issues (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is the banks that are building them.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Issues (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Which the Minister would not give to the councils.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Housing Issues (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The plan now involves building only 2,000 houses.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Wage-setting Mechanisms (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 5. To ask the Minister for Finance in the context of recent calls by trade unions and others for wage increases if he will consider a new wage policy to stimulate economic growth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16334/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Wage-setting Mechanisms (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: In recent months, representatives of workers and trade unions have stated they believe it is time to change wage policy to see wage increases for workers to alleviate the deprivation many working people suffer as a result of six years of cuts, to give an urgently needed boost to demand in the economy and to stimulate growth and employment. Will the Minister consider responding positively to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Wage-setting Mechanisms (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: A total of 27% of households in which one person is working are suffering deprivation. Moreover, 10% of those in which two people are working are suffering deprivation. Consequently, in addition to the hundreds of thousands who have no work and are suffering poverty and deprivation, there is the significant phenomenon of the working poor, that is, those who are working long and hard but...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Wage-setting Mechanisms (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Ireland is a low-wage economy. Employee compensation as a percentage of total operating costs in Ireland stands at 22%, one of the lowest anywhere in Europe. It is considerably less for workers than is the case in Britain, France, Germany and most other European countries. Workers in this country, frankly, are being screwed against a backdrop in which productivity is high and profits are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Wage-setting Mechanisms (8 Apr 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is the logic of the race to the bottom.