Results 2,421-2,440 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: -----must consider three main factors, namely, the level of resources available; projections regarding how the economy is expected to develop; and societal needs, particularly in respect of the matters in respect of which action must be prioritised. Successive Ministers for Finance - Members may consult their budgetary statements for as far back as they wish to go - have always set out the...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: I emphasise that I am not in any way trying to abdicate my sense of personal responsibility or my responsibility as a Minister in respect of any work that I have done.

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: As stated previously, I will not accept that there was bad faith on my part in respect of doing the job to which I refer. I am prepared to engage in democratic debate on the political choices or decisions that have been made. However, I am not prepared to accept that others who at the time described my budgets as being measly, Scrooge-like or hopelessly inadequate can now suggest that we...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: I am of the view, therefore, that those who proposed broadly similar fiscal policies in their election manifestos and policy position papers and others who lobbied for these and even more expansionary fiscal provisions also have cause to acknowledge those facts. The prospective budgetary positions set out by the various parties in the House prior to the most recent general election, from...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: The fiscal policy that was outlined-----

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: -----by the Opposition parties during that campaign, when we had an opportunity to go to the people and outline our plans for the future-----

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: ------were less restrictive on the Opposition side than they were on the Government side of the House. That may well sound to be an unusual situation-----

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: ------but the facts and analysis of the time in relation to the policy positions we set out confirm that. What I am saying in this attempt to rewrite history is not in any way to dilute my sense of responsibility, which I accept and share with many others in relation to this report and other reports.

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: I want to make it clear to the people that it is not right in the context of-----

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: ------a genuinely honest debate in regard to how we deal with the problems that beset this country to continue to come into this House and suggest that history was different then and that one now has the opportunity to rewrite that history. That serves no purpose. It is also intellectually dishonest and takes away from the credibility of those who wish to come and advocate a way forward in...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: Fundamental errors in projections were made by the Central Bank, the IMF, OECD and others. As Messrs Regling and Watson state, the true burden of responsibility emerges as quite broad and extends to insufficiently critical external surveillance institutions. Fiscal decisions were taken in the context of abundant revenues, positive projections for growth and societal needs. It has been...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: We had an opportunity for a capital programme funded by cash.

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: That was the situation in which we found ourselves at that time.

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: The investments we made were not wrong in that respect. On the contrary, almost all were necessary and worthwhile. It is especially important to note that the tax revenues raised during those years were used to engage in unprecedented capital investments to provide key infrastructure such as roads, public transport projects, schools and third level research facilities. Infrastructure has...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: Let us remember that the context of the debate we were having in this House was quite to the contrary.

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: We recorded budget surpluses in ten of the 11 budgets about which I speak

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: We used money to more than halve the national debt as a percentage of GDP, from 64% in 1997 to 25% in 2007. If the assets of the National Pension Reserve Fund are taken into account, the net debt position at the time I ceased being Minister for Finance, was approximately 12% of GDP. This undoubtedly helped slow the growth rate of the Irish economy from what would have applied had we used...

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: How much time have I left, a Cheann Comhairle?

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion (15 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: I do not wish to take up any other Member's time. I am simply outlining that the investments we continue to make are within the budgetary policy we are now pursuing. The country wants the Government to move on to deal with the crises and problems of today. The people do not believe we should spend the next three years dealing with the previous three years or ten years. There are...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (9 Jun 2010)

Brian Cowen: The National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) is the only body under the aegis of my Department. I am satisfied that the NESDO complies with the relevant aspects of the code of practice, as well as the statutory requirements placed on the Office by the NESDO Act 2006. My Department is currently reviewing the governance arrangements in relation to the NESDO in light of the...