Results 2,201-2,220 of 35,540 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That is what I mean. We can create our own list but we can also be aware of, or make reference to, the UN list. That is not to say we take the UN list word for word. We can do it through engagement with the NTMA and ISIF. If we were to do something in respect of those principles, would it address Mr. Gilvarry's concern regarding the UN list?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I know, and I have moved away from that. If we did that, would it address Mr. Gilvarry's concerns?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The NTMA has said we do not want to be an outlier. Is it not the case, however, that the NTMA boasts on its website about being an outlier in respect of cluster munitions? Is that not the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Does it not state on the NTMA website that we were the first in the world in that regard?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The NTMA boasts about being an outlier. It is proud of the fact that we took that stance. Should we not be proud of saying that our taxpayers' money is not going support this type of illegal activity? Why is it okay to be an outlier in terms of cluster munitions but actually not be an outlier in relation to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That is fair enough. I have huge respect, which I have put on the record numerous times, for what the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, does and has done in the past in our investments. I include the officials in the Department of Finance. I want to finish on this point. I have two simple questions. Are we investing in any Russian companies at the minute?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Okay. A point was made that we do not ban geographic areas. We are not investing in Russia, however, and rightly so. Therefore, we do divest. We do not invest in certain geographic areas. Is that the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Mr. Ashmore raised the issue of what a geographic-specific investment strategy might entail, but we already do it. That is the point. Is that not the case? We already have geographic-specific investment strategies. Is that not the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Yes, but we would not be an outlier. The problem here is with the NTMA and the Government. If I were Minister of Finance, I would sit down with Mr. Ashmore and Ms Meghen to tell them to stop using taxpayers' money to go into illegal settlements and tell me what needs to be done and the consequences of doing that. I would tell them we need to stop this because what is happening in Gaza is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Exactly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: So Mr. Ashmore is saying that because of the Private Members' Bill, the NTMA is not doing anything in respect of this matter?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Mr. Ashmore says there is a process under way. What process is under way in the NTMA regarding taxpayers' money being invested in activities that support illegal settlements in the occupied territories? Where does that process stand?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: May I ask a simple question? As an official in the Department of Finance, does Mr. Gilvarry believe that taxpayers' money should be invested in an Israeli bank that is funding hundreds of homes in the occupied territories? Does he believe that our citizens' money should go there? That lies at the core of the legislation. If the Department of Finance wants to submit an amendment, it can do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: We know the size of Norway's pension fund.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That is the final question. The problem is that the NTMA is not divesting. Mr. Ashmore might answer that question. If the problem is that the NTMA is not divesting, that is why we have to bring in legislation. To tell you the truth, if the NTMA said it will stop it today, the legislation will be dead. It will be moot. We do not need legislation to do this. If the Minister told the NTMA...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: What about consultation in terms of the overall guiding principle of the strategy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Exactly. The NTMA consults with the Minister. I am not talking about the individual portfolios. The Minister has a role in the NTMA's overall governing guiding principles. Is that not the case?