Results 7,221-7,240 of 26,430 for speaker:David Cullinane

Commission of Investigation (Certain Matters Relative to Disability Service in the South East and Related Matters): Motion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: I agree with those points. We already have an amendment to the Government amendment. The sitting needs to be suspended. First, the Government will have to circulate the amended wording. Before we can take a decision on what to do we need to consider the amendments already tabled. There is confusion now. By the way, I welcome the additionality and clarification that the Minister of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Children's Hospital Expenditure (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: 26. To ask the Minister for Health the additional funding stream which has been allocated to his Department for 2017 and 2018 to cover the cost of the National Children's Hospital in view of public comments by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on funding for the National Children's Hospital on 7 February 2017 and the remarks by the Director General of the HSE on 7 February 2017...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Procedures (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: 65. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which UHW and the South/Southwest Hospital Group will provide both planned and emergency PPCI work at the cardiac unit at UHW with one lab; if this goes against the recommendation of the Herity report; his views on whether it is possible and safe to provide both planned and emergency work for the effective population with a single lab; and if he...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: I welcome Mr. O'Kelly and Mr. O'Connor. The term "leprechaun-proofing" has entered the lexicon. It is obviously in response to the inflated GDP figures last year. We discussed it at a meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts late last year. The GNI*, on which Mr. O'Kelly says he is not an expert, is a new key indicator that is being looked at by the Central Bank and others in terms of...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: So we can have all these indicators like GNP, GDP, GNI and GNI*, which are all very interesting and will all tell us different things, but in reality, the only one that really matters is the GDP figure. The GDP ratio versus debt is how we measure the fiscal space and, consequently, apply the fiscal rules. That is an important distinction because it relates to our work in terms of how much...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: Sorry, €200 billion. What level of risk analysis does the NTMA undertake in terms of the sustainability of that debt and how does it carry out a risk analysis?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: The question is about how the NTMA does it. How does it evaluate risk? Debt is either sustainable or it is not. If it becomes unsustainable, the NTMA needs measurements and processes in place that allow it to make a judgement on whether debt is sustainable, unsustainable or somewhere in between. When the NTMA carries out its risk analysis, what does it specifically do? How does it...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: Does the NTMA also look at how we are paying down the debt? For example, does it look at whether we are overdependent on growth to reduce the debt? Does it look at those factors?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: That was something Mr. O'Kelly did not say until I prompted him so that is another measurement. Is there anything else that the NTMA would examine when it is looking at risk and the sustainability of debt?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: How much of the global figure of €200 billion of debt is debt that was brought about through borrowing for day-to-day spending and how much of it is debt that is legacy debt related to recapitalising the banks or crystallising losses in banks? Does Mr. O'Kelly have that breakdown?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: Is Mr. O'Kelly aware of criticisms from the Comptroller and Auditor General regarding the use of public private partnerships, PPPs, in respect of process and a lack of any value-for-money analysis of process when such partnerships are being looked at? In the context of look-back exercises, it is the view of the Comptroller and Auditor General that we do not evaluate whether or not we get...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: Before Mr. O'Kelly does that, is he aware of the concerns of the Comptroller and Auditor General? Has he read any of the Comptroller and Auditor General's documents on that?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: In a report in 2015, the IMF stated that in some economies, the private sector is largely displacing governments in providing economic infrastructure. It goes on to talk about energy, transport and water. Ireland is cited as one example where it is displacing Government spending. The reason for that is the limitations of the fiscal rules. This is one way around it because we cannot get...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: I am not saying that Mr. O'Kelly is saying that. It is a point that was made to us by the Minister when he appeared before the committee and we asked him about the fiscal rules and flexibility. He said that would be dependent on whether we get support for changes from within the European Union. We will have to look at greater use of PPP in the absence of that. I ask Mr. O'Kelly to be...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: I accept that and have no difficulty with Mr. O'Kelly's response. I am only making the point that if we are examining a greater use of PPP only because of restrictions which are in place, then it is a valid argument that we should do that, because there are restrictions. It should not take away from one of the issues which this committee is looking at, which is the need to get greater...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: Mr. O'Kelly makes the point that it isn't either-or but is about choice. There is not much choice at the moment. We have very little capital spend because of the limitations of the fiscal space. This year's budget is going to be worse because we have carry-over costs, reduced fiscal space and even though we can smooth capital spending, it is still going to be quite low. The choices are...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Developments in the National Debt: National Treasury Management Agency (8 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: I accept that.

Universal Jurisdiction of Human Rights Bill 2015: Second Stage [Private Members] (9 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister of State. Sinn Féin welcomes the opportunity to speak on this Bill and we commend Deputy Mick Wallace for bringing it forward. We will of course be supporting it. This Bill, if passed, would enable the charging and conviction of persons who breach international human rights law in cases of genocide, war crimes, torture and crimes against humanity, whether these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Scheme (9 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: 136. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a school designated as a DEIS school (details supplied) was re-profiled from a DEIS band 2 to a DEIS band 1 school; when the staffing allocations in line with DEIS band 1 will be allocated; his views on the matter in view of the need for the school to plan; and if he will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Scheme (9 Mar 2017)

David Cullinane: 137. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the DEIS status of schools in Waterford city and county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12755/17]