Results 12,721-12,740 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen
- Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: It is true that demand for credit is down because of the recession. It is also true that people are finding it difficult to obtain credit for viable but vulnerable businesses which are still trying to contend with the current situation. The Minister for Finance is seeking to ensure, on an ongoing basis, that good business ideas are not denied access to some level of credit, even if not the...
- Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: I am not in the business of hurling political charges. I want to address the seriousness of the question.
- Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: The Deputy still makes the assertions and the populist image he wants to portray today is the tax increases relate to the recapitalisation of the banks.
- Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: The tax increases we have brought forward are about the fact we have to redesign out taxation base because we do not have as much money coming in under other tax heads as in the past and not the banks.
- Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: Unless we broaden the base of our taxation system, including increasing income taxes and looking at other forms of taxation in the future, we will not be able to provide sustainable public services at the level the people expect. That is the reason we are involved in a change in taxation systems. For obvious reasons, the Deputy likes to popularly portray that the reason we are doing that is...
- Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: The reason we are increasing taxation is we need to increase revenue from sources like income tax and other taxes in the future to meet the expenditure needs even where the Government has made expenditure savings this year for â¬4.3 billion. Let us leave that aside because that is just another way of the Deputy getting his message out to the doors on that issue. I refer to the issue he...
- Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: The Deputy does not agree with that either.
- Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: He does not agree with State guarantees or even recapitalisation. What credit would have been available to banks if they were not recapitalised? Not alone would credit be a problem, the solvency issue would have been a problem. This is my response to the argument the Deputy is making. In other words, he does not agree with any measure that seeks to correct the issues but he continues to...
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. Following my invitation on 24 March, the Government and social partners have had further engagement within the context of the Framework for a Pact for Stabilisation, Social Solidarity and Economic Renewal agreed in January, and the subsequent report of the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, which emphasises the importance...
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: That is not true. The contention we have collapsed talks is totally untrue. I value the social partnership process and I believe it is an essential aspect of governance in a modern democratic society, especially in a small open economy like ours where consistency of approach is helpful for economic and social well-being. It is true we have as yet failed to arrive at a basis for a formal...
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: The public sector pay agreement?
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: Of course we are implementing it.
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: Yes, we deferred it.
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: There is a problem with the private sector pay agreement.
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: That is a problem.
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: Deputy Gilmore has unfairly characterised the talks that have been taking place in recent weeks and months. That is my answer to his question. He is suggesting it is all process and no substance. It has substance. We are working to a ten-year framework agreement. Much of the effort we have made on the budgetary position arises from the framework agreement, which has content, and getting...
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: Social dialogue is important at all times, regardless of the status of discussions and whether there are agreements. Institutions are in place such as the National Implementation Body in industrial relations terms, the National Economic and Social Council in terms of common macroeconomic analysis and the steering committee for the Towards 2016 agreement. All of those bodies are important...
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: We are not suggesting that there be a different type of social partnership. We are trying to provide agreement on the issues of concern that have been raised by the social partners. In the event of it being impossible to find an agreement, we still need structures of social dialogue in place. There are structures that will continue to be utilised with or without an agreement. We have a...
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: I am not in the position to ditch a pension levy that brings in the sort of money it does, given the importance of the changes we have made in the budget. We are not in a position to say that was required in January and not in March. There would be no credibility to that position. I have also said of course that an argument can be made for its introduction. While I recognise it is an...
- Social Partnership. (6 May 2009)
Brian Cowen: There has been no advance on the position as announced in the budget by the Minister for Finance, namely, that this area is being examined in the context of social welfare and by the Commission on Taxation. Anyone who is sincerely committed to social justice will accept that at a time of scarce resources, the need to target benefits at those most in need is a good principle upon which to try...