Results 23,981-24,000 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: One would not have much of a shop for €1 million. Sinn Féin would probably argue on another occasion there are too many taxes on the productive sector, including small businesses. Deputy Morgan will find that, when he does his sums, he will not be raising a great deal of money when he takes all the inevitable exceptions into account.

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am not saying one cannot raise some money by taxation – the issue of carbon tax is under consideration – but we must accept there is not a great amount of money to be gained by increasing taxes because one reaches the point of diminishing returns.

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: No.

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Exactly. Therefore, the Deputy agrees with my theory. This is a useful debate because we are getting cohesion in our ideas.

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: When it comes to expenditure cuts, if people say not to cut social welfare and public service wages, that leaves one with approximately €22 billion in which to do all the cutting. If one does that, the result is Garda cars with no petrol and hospitals with no bandages because one cannot keep taking the money out of the service delivery area and leave all the rest intact. They are the hard...

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I did not interrupt anyone. We are perfectly capable of doing the job. It is Fine Gael that is talking about-----

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am highlighting the issues we are considering. We will give the answers to those problems on budget day.

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Fine Gael Members are the ones who are telling us there is another way. They should put their cards on the table.

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am sure Members would like to make an input into the budget and that we would listen to that.

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Deputy will find that out on budget day.

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Tá a fhios agam. It is interesting that all the Members of the Opposition are so sensitive about being asked for their ideas.

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We will make them happen, but we have to deal with the real world, not the kind of utopia the Deputies believe can be created and that they pretend-----

Pre-budget Outlook: Statements (Resumed) (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: -----is possible. I have inquired of small employers with ten or 15 employees whether any of them are not working to their optimum efficiency and they admit that is the case. I worked in the private sector for years. I worked in productive industry and manufacturing. Of course some people are more efficient than others. Anyone who tells me that his or her staff work at full tilt all the...

Irish Language. (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 and 64 together. I wish to assure the Deputies, and the House, that my Department has and will continue to work with Departments and other public bodies to assist them in meeting their obligations under the Act in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. I reiterate that the obligation under section 10 of the Act to publish documents...

Irish Language. (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am all for saving money. We are all for saving money where money should be saved. However, if we have a first constitutional language, there are certain obligations involved to the users of that language.

Irish Language. (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is not a question of affording it. As I have pointed out, there is a constitutional obligation. If the Deputy believes we can no longer afford the Irish language-----

Irish Language. (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Deputy mentioned specifically the translation of local authority plans. As I said before, we do not see any need to produce hard copies. However, it is interesting to consider the case of County Clare.

Irish Language. (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Let us consider the case of County Clare. I understand the local authority translated the county development plan into Irish and printed English and Irish-language versions. Great play was made of the fact that nobody bought the Irish-language version, but the county council does not have a record of how many hits the Internet page received. I asked my officials to check the numbers...

Irish Language. (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: We will discuss this in great detail at tomorrow's committee meeting. I will be able to prove that the translation of documents into Irish is saving the State considerable amounts of money, and I will bring a small level of physical evidence in with me to prove my point. It is saving funds.

Irish Language. (17 Nov 2009)

Éamon Ó Cuív: No; there will be.