Results 7,881-7,900 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: That is no problem at all. I know Deputy Gilmore is au fait with all the recommendations on these matters about which he is criticising me. One of the recommendations was that Oireachtas Chairs might be incorporated as officeholders for ethics Acts purposes. In order to meet the Deputy's real demand that I try to implement as many of these recommendations as possible, I assure him that...

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: Then we will see real progress.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: Preparatory work on the education (patronage) Bill, which is to amend the Vocational Education Acts 1930 to 2006 and the Education Act 1998 to enable the VECs to provide an additional model of primary school patronage, is ongoing. As matters stand, the earliest it will be introduced will be later this year.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: I am not aware that legislation is promised in that area.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: A social housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill is due later in the year. It may not be germane to the issue.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: It is a matter for local authorities to implement the Part V measures.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: There are ongoing discussions. I have always said this House could order its affairs far better if Members did not regard Dáil reform as an opportunity for the Opposition to do the Government's job and for the Government to do the Opposition's job.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: If Members sat down sensibly and did not engage in one-upmanship every time we try to introduce reform in the House, which has unfortunately become the norm, it would be more productive. We over-use some procedures and under-use others and we continue to make attempts to circumvent the rules. If we sat down sensibly to establish rules for a modern parliament, there is no reason we could not...

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: That is precisely my point.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The best way to achieve Dáil reform is through mature consensus involving all parties in the House and recognising the roles we must all play. We can take the job seriously and do some work on it or we can continue to do the ring-a-ring-a-rosy that has passed for Dáil reform until now.

Order of Business (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: I look forward to the outcome of those deliberations.

Presentation and Circulation of Revised Estimates 2008: Motion (21 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: I move: That, notwithstanding Standing Order 154 (1) or (2) of the Standing Orders of Dáil Éireann relative to Public Business, Revised Estimates for the Public Services for the year ending 31 December 2008, be presented to the Dáil and circulated to members on 21 February 2008, being a date later than that prescribed for the presentation of Estimates and that the Revised Estimates be...

Tax Code. (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The terms of reference of the Commission on Taxation are entirely consistent with An Agreed Programme for Government. The terms of reference of the commission explicitly provide, among other things, that it should undertake its work "having regard to the commitments on economic competitiveness and on taxation contained in the Programme for Government". The Government programme is one for...

Tax Code. (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The purpose of the Commission on Taxation is to examine the taxation code. As I stated during discussions on Committee Stage of the Finance Bill, it has broad terms of reference to enable it to examine the gamut of matters that it believes are germane to improving our tax system. It is set out in the programme for Government that, subject to the controlling economic and fiscal framework,...

Tax Code. (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: That is a partial and predictable interpretation of the commitments. The point I made during the campaign, in an argument I believe I won, was that Fine Gael had not costed its proposals properly.

Tax Code. (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: There is a major problem in the Fine Gael Party in getting over this. The record will speak for itself and I do not wish to detain the House. We set out what we felt was possible based on the economic assumptions in our plan, which were 4.5% growth rates. Fine Gael proposed a slightly lower growth rate and a slightly higher inflation rate. The bottom line is that in terms of overall...

Tax Code. (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: Sorry, Deputy, for the purposes of the House, I am giving information. The Deputy is shouting across trying to win an argument that his party lost.

Tax Code. (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The fact, as the Deputy knows, although he is trying to stop me from saying it, is that the nominal growth rate assumptions in both sets of proposals were similar. My economic growth rate was slightly higher and my inflation rate was slightly lower, while the Deputy's proposals were based on a slightly lower nominal growth rate and higher inflation rate. It worked out at approximately 7.5%....

Economic Forecasts. (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: My Department's economic forecasts have not changed from those published on budget day, when GDP growth of 3% was projected for this year with GNP growth of 2.8%. With regard to what the Taoiseach said in his recent speech to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, there is no inconsistency. He was speaking in approximate terms. Furthermore, among economic commentators, the current range for...

Economic Forecasts. (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: It is a new line of attack from the Labour Party to suggest that I should have a tighter fiscal policy and no deficits. Perhaps the party would outline, in the course of the next weeks and months, what areas of current and capital expenditure it wishes to cut so we can accommodate its new fiscal stance. I will be glad to hear that. Comparing the challenges currently facing the economy as...