Results 1,621-1,640 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: I wish to address the effectiveness of expenditure on homelessness. A hotel not 500 m from here was purchased several years ago by Dublin City Council with a view to tackling the problem of homelessness but it still lies vacant. How effective is expenditure and is it monitored on an ongoing basis? The Department gave money to the local authority but we did not see the building purchased...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 25 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (9 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: On the same issue, my understanding is that in this case there is a certain amount of moving the deckchairs. It seems the local authorities were allowing houses to remain empty for a longer period to access additional funds from the Department. Will that issue be looked at more closely? Perhaps there should be a reduction in what the Department grants them in these cases.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Minister for his attendance and apologise for not being present for his opening submissions, as I was at another meeting. Please feel free to stop me if I am being repetitive but the process has been quite informative. The concept of having hearings on the heads of the Bill has been highly informative in respect of this joint committee's thinking and, it is to be hoped, when the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: It is obviously not widely known. It was touched upon in two or three submissions to the committee. I am not the only one who missed it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Invest in Irish Job Scheme: Discussion. (10 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the witnesses for attending and for the work they have done. I am very nervous with regard to an issue that could run again against the tightening up policy we propose. It has been said we could be talking about from 40 to 50 individuals. I know of one or two of these and have seen them come in to the media events around their donation and then fly out the next day. These people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Invest in Irish Job Scheme: Discussion. (10 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: I think the Chair was trying to soften the question, but I do not know why he would do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Invest in Irish Job Scheme: Discussion. (10 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: It might be self preservation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Invest in Irish Job Scheme: Discussion. (10 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: I have no problem with the idea of corporate Ireland giving 1%. I like it. The fundamental problem I have with this, however, is that it is like incentivising. There are tax exiles who made their money in Ireland and this gives them an additional day here for what would be a very modest sum of money out of their incomes. They are back in Ireland making more money on their investments....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Invest in Irish Job Scheme: Discussion. (10 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: I would much prefer that they pay their tax in Ireland where they made their money.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: I welcome Mr. O'Flynn. I have four questions. Mr. O'Flynn has referred in his submission to Denmark and South Korea using emissions reductions as an economic development opportunity. Could Ireland use any of these strategies? I ask Mr. O'Flynn to list two or three key points on how we could benefit from their experience.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: Mr. O'Flynn has indicated that agricultural emissions can be offset by strategies such as for afforestation. Can he provide statistics in that regard? Has any detailed research been carried out or is that just a comment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: Has Mr. O'Flynn's company conducted any hard research in this area?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: Mr. O'Flynn indicates in his submission that there is potential to create between 26,000 and 80,000 jobs if the right policies are pursued. We receive a large number of submissions, across all committees, many of which contain various figures which sometimes seem to have been pulled out of nowhere. How has Mr. O'Flynn arrived at this estimate of 26,000 to 80,000 jobs and how many of that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: Ernst & Young's website indicates that the Irish Wind Energy Association, IWEA, is one of its clients. Is there a balance in terms of clients, with some, for instance, having interests other than renewables?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: I apologise for not being present for Dr. Doran's presentation. I had to attend another meeting. I imagine that most of us who have been involved in these hearings, especially those on the political side, are not too far away from each other in our thinking, especially having heard the evidence. I met a large group at lunchtime and began to generate a discussion on the impact of climate...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: It is too far in the distance for them. We have moved on from focusing on the 2020 targets. I sense there was a better buy-in a year ago, even though our economic circumstances were worse then than they are now. As a member of a minor party, I am aware that we have always paid a penalty for being ahead of public opinion on various issues. My party is the bit party of the two and a bit...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: The Acting Chairman has made an important point and I wish to clarify the position. Dr. Doran used the words "most likely" and "consensus" in relation to whether the matter could go before the court. We have a Constitution and when the words "most likely" and "consensus" are used about a matter such as this, it usually ends up in the courts.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: Yes, but that is an important point that should be made.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: Dr. O'Gorman referred to gender quotas and said there was a target and consequence approach.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jul 2013)

Kevin Humphreys: There are targets within the heads of Bills, but, to a great extent, it is a question of getting the foundations right. The 2030 target will be negotiated in 2015 and there will be a consequence as a result of those negotiations. Having listened to earlier evidence to the committee, we are still not clear on what will be counted. Will bogs be counted as a single entity? Will forestry or...