Results 20,101-20,120 of 35,893 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Equipment (13 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: 485. To ask the Minister for Health if an application has been made by a hospital (details supplied) in County Donegal for an x-ray imagining machine; if so, if this application is currently under consideration; when it is anticipated that a decision will be made in respect of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39913/16]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (13 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: 486. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the reinstatement of gynaecology services at Dungloe Community Hospital; when it is expected that services will resume for patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39914/16]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (13 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: 545. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive a single farm payment for 2015 and 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39621/16]

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: They are founded in fact.

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: Does the Government support engagement?

Leaders' Questions (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: Does the Government support engagement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: To follow up on the previous question, when was that application received?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate that. Obviously, it is a two-way street. Mr. Sheridan referred to competition and we have heard from other people who appeared before the committee about the need for greater competition in the market. What is the average time it would take to process an application for a new entrant to enter the mortgage market?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: Is the Central Bank treating any expression of interest with the urgency that is required in light of the mortgage market we have? It has been reported that there has been an expression of interest in entering the market for well in excess of a year, yet we have not seen anything happen. I appreciate it is a two-way street and we are not privy to the details, but does Mr. Sibley believe the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: How many people in the bank would deal with an application of this nature?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate that it cuts across a number of areas but who heads it up in the bank? Is there a clear division? If I am interested in entering the Irish market as a mortgage provider, is there somebody within the Central Bank that would be responsible for my application to see it through from start to fruition? Who is the senior person responsible for that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: If I am correct, Mr. Sibley stated that the Central Bank shared the objectives of the Bill. I would argue that the objectives of the Bill are to secure a reduction in variable rate mortgages. Does the Central Bank share that objective?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: I understand what Mr. Sibley is saying. He spoke about the difficulty in respect of repossession, which I will allude to later. Does the Central Bank believe there is currently scope for interest rates to be reduced further by the financial institutions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: We appreciate and recognise that interest rates are reducing. Someone who takes out a mortgage with a loan to value ratio of 50% will not present a serious problem as the mortgage does not involve risk. Are the variable interest rates being charged for such mortgages excessive or appropriate given the risks at this point? They are much higher than those applied by our competitors in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: Even if there is a default on the mortgage for a property where the loan to value ratio is 50%, the bank will not lose anything. How could a bank lose in such a scenario given that it could repossess the property secured on the loan? Unless property prices had declined by in excess of 50%, it would receive the loan back in full.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: That is interesting because Mr. Sibley stated we need to deal with the underlying issues. He has just repeated the point made in this opening statement about the length of time, difficulty or uncertainty associated with dealing with the repossession of the secured property. Is the Central Bank saying we need to make it easier to repossess properties and give the banks more security? Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: All the banks have provisioned for losses in respect of those who are more than two years in arrears. One cannot apply a high variable rate to new or existing customers to try to claw back money that has already been provided for the banks. In fact, the banks are taking some of this money back onto their books because circumstances have changed and improved. As such, the argument made on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: I would take issue with Mr. Sibley's assertion that the Central Bank has put in place protections for borrowers. We have been questioning bankers on the tracker mortgage scandal. For four years the Central Bank sat on its hands and showed an absolutely disgraceful attitude on this issue. We now know 9,000 people had their tracker mortgages removed or did not have them reinstated when it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2016: Central Bank of Ireland (8 Dec 2016)

Pearse Doherty: With respect, I disagree. The joint committee wrote to the Central Bank on foot of a request from the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation asking it to carry out a system wide review. The Central Bank did this around this time last year. Four years prior to that, individuals were taking cases to the Financial Services Ombudsman and their cases were upheld. Cases were taken to the High Court...