Results 19,801-19,820 of 27,080 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I read one a while ago, which was basically an assessment of public housing as against rental accommodation scheme, RAS, and housing assistance payment, HAP, arrangements. An IGEES report indicated it would cost considerably more to continue with RAS and HAP than direct construction, which requires more capital investment upfront but where the long-term costs are lower. Was that done by the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Okay. I agree very much with that. It is something I have been arguing for quite a long time. Has that lesson been taken on board? Are there changes to plans for capital investment that would significantly move us on from the Rebuilding Ireland targets? As a reminder, the initial Rebuilding Ireland targets were for about 133,000 social housing units, of which roughly 90,000 were going to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I would prefer that, if possible.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Certainly, rhetorically we have heard some shift and that is good news but there is still a huge dependence on current forms of expenditure. Ms Costello can tell me the numbers, but the original target was for about 87,000 to 90,000 units, which are long-term arrangements in many cases. Is it Ms Costello's understanding that the trajectory, that is, the plan and the objective, is to get to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will leave it at that. I am gathering from that reply that there is not a definite plan as to where this is heading but there is a shift in trajectory. I am glad of that shift in trajectory but I believe we need a plan that says there is an end point in all of this. My next question is on a similar theme. It relates to Covid and is more for the health side. There has been a lot of...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: My time is limited. There is a common theme to my questions. I welcome the additional money being invested and so on but what seem to be lacking are clear objectives for where this is heading. When figures are bandied around and we say an additional €1 billion is being thrown in here, and we say we are spending more than we have ever spent in the history of the State, which is a...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will just flag a few issues because I am out of time. There has been a theme to my questions, namely, that we are a little lacking in clearly specified objectives. There are trajectories, additional allocations and a general recognition that we might need to move in a particular direction, but there are not clearly specified objectives and there is more work to be done there. I have not...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Capital Investment: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (1 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That has been the common theme of my questions and I flag that for our guests. I do not have time to go into the arts expenditure but I think we have no idea what we are getting for much of the funding in the area, such as that relating to film investment. We have lots of money going out but-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (15 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I thank both Ministers for their contributions. It seems People Before Profit is alone in challenging the consensus on what we consider to be the immorally low corporation tax rate which is applied here. I refer not just to the nominal rate but to the effective rate. It is derisory and that rate is imposed on some of the wealthiest corporations in the world. We have been pretty much alone...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (15 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is where the scam is.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (15 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: How standing with a number of tax havens against an overwhelming consensus from Europe, the United States and elsewhere, is providing certainty for this country defies belief. We clearly have differing views on this. We know that we need to dramatically increase expenditure on housing. The Minister is not giving away the figure. We believe he should double housing expenditure. In...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (15 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The suggestion that the effective rate in this country is anywhere even close to 12.5% is absolutely preposterous. The Minister knows there is a serious ongoing debate concerning what "effective rate" means. However, pre-tax gross profits - perhaps the Minister might give us the figures just to confirm this point - in the corporate sector are approximately €180 billion annually,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Health and Safety (27 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 49. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the full year 2022 budget for Health and Safety Authority inspections. [41261/21]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (27 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 158. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated cost of bringing waste collection services back into public ownership. [41191/21]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Expenditure (27 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 159. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated cost in 2022 of subsidies for fossil fuels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41192/21]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Expenditure (27 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 160. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated cost in 2022 of subsidies for peat production. [41193/21]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 188. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the plans he has to show his appreciation for all front-line workers under his remit other than a clap on the back; if he is planning a bonus, gratuity payment for all those workers who have been struggling and worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic; if so, when this will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Signage (27 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 210. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there is signage on the M50 for Carrickmines retail park at the appropriate exit; if not, if he will consider this given the size of the park; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39949/21]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (27 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 272. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated full year cost of halving all public transport fares and for providing free public transport to all in full-time education. [41182/21]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (27 Jul 2021)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 273. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated full year cost of making all public transport free for all users. [41183/21]