Results 21,301-21,320 of 26,448 for speaker:David Cullinane

Government Appeal of European Commission Decision on State Aid to Apple: Motion (7 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: The advantage of coming into a debate midway through is that one would have had a flavour of the opinions from Members of the Government, Fianna Fáil and all the parties and Independents who have spoken so far. It is quite spectacular to hear an awful lot of the red herrings that have been peddled by Government Ministers and Fianna Fáil here today. I want to make something very...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Economic and Fiscal Position: Economic and Social Research Institute (7 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: I welcome Professor Barrett and Professor McQuinn and I thank Professor Barrett for his opening statement. I have four quick questions and I will deal with them all at the same time, if that is okay. The first relates to growth levels. Professor Barrett referred to the growth levels and adjusting the 26% GDP figure that came from the Central Statistics Office to determine real economic...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Analysis of Economic Forecasts: Central Bank of Ireland (6 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: I welcome Dr. Fagan and his team. I have a number of questions for Dr. Fagan that require short answers in order to establish - before I get to my substantive question - whether we are on the same page. In his opening statement, Dr. Fagan referred to the recent GDP figures and he said that they included very large upward revisions to the value of GDP. Would it be fair to say that the word...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Analysis of Economic Forecasts: Central Bank of Ireland (6 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: So the witness does not accept that the figures were distorted.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Analysis of Economic Forecasts: Central Bank of Ireland (6 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: However, Dr. Fagan went on to say that a wide range of available indicators, from the labour market to consumer spending and investment - excluding aircraft and intangible assets - confirm that the economy is performing well. He is saying that the CSO should exclude aircraft and intangible assets. If that is the case, does he accept that the inclusion of aircraft and intangible assets had a...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Analysis of Economic Forecasts: Central Bank of Ireland (6 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: But I am asking-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Analysis of Economic Forecasts: Central Bank of Ireland (6 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: No, sorry. With respect, I asked a specific question about why Dr. Fagan is proposing that we should exclude aircraft and intangible assets when calculating GDP growth.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Analysis of Economic Forecasts: Central Bank of Ireland (6 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: In response to Teachta Pearse Doherty, the witness said that we need to get a new set of indicators. Would that new set of indicators have any grounding with EUROSTAT, for example? Has the Central Bank had any engagement with EUROSTAT? Would the latter value those figures in the same way as it would the figures that were published, which were either distorted, or, in the words used by Dr....

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Analysis of Economic Forecasts: Central Bank of Ireland (6 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: My final question is similar to one of Deputy Burton's questions earlier. It concerns the letter from the Governor of the Central Bank to the Minister for Finance of 4 August, saying:[While] the European fiscal framework prescribes a target ceiling for the stock of public debt (at sixty per cent of GDP), there are compelling reasons to develop a national target for the stock of public debt....

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Economic and Fiscal Position: Nevin Economic Research Institute (6 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: I have two questions. I will ask them separately because they are not related. I am not sure if Dr. McDonnell was here during the first set of exchanges. He may have been. I saw him at the back of the room for some of it. I will ask him for his view on a number of the issues that were raised. The first relates to the distorted GDP figures. In his statement, the chief economist from the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Economic and Fiscal Position: Nevin Economic Research Institute (6 Sep 2016)

David Cullinane: My second question was related to this year’s budget which we are focusing on as well. Dr. McDonnell dealt with some of the issues in his presentation. He argues first that we should not phase out or abolish the universal social charge, USC. Will Dr. McDonnell expand on the reasons for advocating that position? Leaving aside the debate on USC, would he favour discretionary...

Appointment of Members of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Motion (21 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: The Legal Services Regulatory Authority is an independent statutory regulator for all legal practitioners introduced by the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015. The first point I will make is that there was a delay in the text of the motion being published. The Minister of State may not be aware of this, but the Business Committee agreed to this motion being tabled on 14 July. However, it...

European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training: Motion (21 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: It has long been the position of Sinn Féin to support international co-operation on justice matters within a sovereign framework that ensures human rights compliance. Sinn Féin supports the State's participation in European Union-level and international co-operation in criminal justice matters where this clearly serves the public interest, but not to cede national sovereignty over...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: We need to get a complete picture of controls in respect of section 38 and 39 organisations and even beyond that. It was interesting to note in the report that while the focus was on the organisation in question and partially on the Health Service Executive, the report also raises questions for the Companies Registration Office in terms of its processes and also for the Revenue...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: I do not know if the work programme has been agreed, although I note it is on the agenda of today's meeting. I asked previously that the committee revisit the issue of public private partnerships. The report provided to the committee by the Comptroller and Auditor General raises all sorts of issues concerning public private partnerships, including whether the information the committee...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: I have a general question, given that the lack of competition in procurement keeps coming up. I assume the Departments are working from circulars or legislation and there is a lack of compliance with the rules that have been laid down. Are there any sanctions or penalties for it?

Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 2 - Government Debt
Chapter 24 - Accounts of the National Treasury Management Agency
National Treasury Management Agency Financial Statements 2015 (21 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: I welcome the witnesses, Mr. O’Kelly and his team. I wish to focus on three areas. The first is GDP and the relationship between it and borrowing costs. The second relates to issues concerning the strategic investment fund and the European Investment Bank. The third is the National Development Finance Agency, which I understand has been subsumed into the competencies and mandates...

Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 2 - Government Debt
Chapter 24 - Accounts of the National Treasury Management Agency
National Treasury Management Agency Financial Statements 2015 (21 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: Many people would see it as a bit more than a lot of explaining having to be done. There is disbelief internationally from many economists. Much of the international reporting of the growth figures is that they were more than just distorted, that they do not form the basis upon which decisions can be made. We know that the GDP figures have an impact on the application of the fiscal rules...

Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 2 - Government Debt
Chapter 24 - Accounts of the National Treasury Management Agency
National Treasury Management Agency Financial Statements 2015 (21 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: Mr. O’Kelly also has to explain - he said that he had received calls from investors – the GDP figures. He used the word “distortion”. What does he mean by that term in the sense of a distortion of the GDP or GNP figures? What is his understanding of the distortion?

Public Accounts Committee: 2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 2 - Government Debt
Chapter 24 - Accounts of the National Treasury Management Agency
National Treasury Management Agency Financial Statements 2015 (21 Jul 2016)

David Cullinane: Does the NTMA have a role in reporting to the Department or the CSO? It is on the front line on the borrowing side in terms of requests from asset and fund managers and has had to explain what has happened, as it has done. It has a view on what the issues are. I assume it has some responsibility to report back to the Government. Will Mr. O'Kelly talk us through what this involves? Is...