Results 7,721-7,740 of 26,897 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 38. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she has received any Health Information and Quality Authority reports on investigations into conditions in direct provision centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35427/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I thank the delegates for their explanation which has been very helpful. To follow on from where Deputy Pearse Doherty finished, the conditionality set out for accessing current recapitalisation suggests the threshold will be very high and that all other possibilities will have to be exhausted before one can access recapitalisation under the ESM and that an arguably even higher threshold...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It does not give me much hope because the threshold is so high, even if one is looking for money in the here and now. Of €500 billion in lending capacity only €60 billion is available for direct recapitalisation of financial institutions. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is a pretty small amount, which is just over 10% of its lending capacity. With such a small amount available throughout the whole of Europe for direct recapitalisation and a pretty high threshold being exacted for current recapitalisation in the legislation, our chances of getting retroactive recapitalisation are zero to nil, given the size of the pot available and the thresholds...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is not for Mr. Ó Brolcháin to comment, but it looks like a sop to salvage the credibility of the Government's original triumphalism that it would obtain this, that as it now fades into the distance there is still a possibility we will get it. I will move on from this point as there is not much more to be said about it. On a more general basis, the €60 billion for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is the €60 billion included in this legislation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is that figure set out in this legislation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Allowing for more money to go directly into banks because giving it to governments would reduce-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Given the approach of just over 10% of the fund being available for direct recapitalisation, the thinking is that the states and the taxpayer will need to pick up the bill in the event of a serious crisis. Mr. Ó Brolcháin mentioned that the 10% figure might be varied, but this is indicative of the thinking involved.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I welcome the bail-in and so on, although it is gut-wrenching for us that Europe has now acknowledged the need for a bail-in of bondholders when we did not get one and are highly unlikely to do so. As a practical example of how all of this is working, will Mr. Ó Brolcháin tell us about the €45 billion that has been given to Spain and Cyprus? How did that process work, what...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: What of the interest rates?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: What conditionality applied?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I would be interested in it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I thank Mr. Ó Brolcháin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: General Scheme of European Stability Mechanism (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: In our case, but they will not give it to us retrospectively.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: General Scheme of Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Legislation can be mystifying for us as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: General Scheme of Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will be somewhat parochial as well, not in a hostile way to other ports, but just because Dún Laoghaire harbour is what I know about. Some of the issues are also of more general resonance. I very much welcome the move to put these ports under local authority control, certainly in Dún Laoghaire's case it is something I have urged for a while. It was very unclear what the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: General Scheme of Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: We have covered a lot of ground and I accept some of the witnesses are constrained in what they can say about policy or the direction things should take. However, is it fair to say that the biggest problem with the draft heads is that it just is not clear how the legislation will operate. Having moved beyond the current semi-State model, we are being told in broad strokes it is going to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: General Scheme of Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (24 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Was a new board member just appointed?

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Engagements (30 Sep 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 24. To ask the Taoiseach if he has had discussions with other EU Heads of State in relation to Israel following the recent attacks on Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36517/14]