Results 2,541-2,560 of 11,861 for speaker:Brian Hayes

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: The Senator's interpretation of that is the same as that of the Government.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: I thank the Senators for their very constructive engagement on the Bill. The Minister for Finance was in the House during the Second Stage debate. I thank Senators for allowing the Bill to progress this evening by agreeing to take all Stages. I thank all of the Senators who contributed and in particular those who tabled insightful amendments. We are entering a new era of fiscal...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: As I understand it from colleagues, the arrangement proposed is standard. The chairperson is the chairperson of an organisation in the same way as the CEO is the CEO of an organisation, and that individual is invited before a committee. However, nothing precludes other members of the council from being there. Demanding that they all attend could present difficulties because some of them...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: The view of the Minister for Finance, and ipso facto my view, is that we cannot accept amendment No. 20. It depends on the subject matter of the committee debate. With the greatest respect to committees, the point has been made by Senator Gilroy that frequently a view of a council or any body corporate is made through its chairperson, who makes-----

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: Exactly. Public utterances come from the chairperson. I note that when the council issues its report it is usually the chairperson, Professor McHale, who speaks in public on its behalf and sets out the views of the council. It is a matter for the council to determine that; it is not a matter for Government or the Legislature to tell the council how to speak in public. There may well be...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: I thank the Senator for tabling amendment No. 21. This point was raised on Committee Stage in the Dáil by Deputy Michael McGrath of Fianna Fáil. He put forward a similar proposal which required the Fiscal Council to provide an assessment of a policy proposal when requested to do so in writing by a committee of Dáil Éireann. The proposal was rejected by the Minister, Deputy Noonan, who...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: The Senator has highlighted a very important point, namely, that it is important to have economists not just in the Department of Finance but also in other high spending Departments. The Departments of Social Protection, Education and Skills and Health are responsible for 82% of all Government expenditure. As the Senator points out, it is crucial that these Departments have in their employ...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: I agree with the Senator. The team should not be a man or a woman short. The difficulty with the amendment is that it would remove the maximum stipulation of six months and reset it at one month. As the Minister for Finance has previously indicated, that is a very short period. Some reflection might be required across government in bringing forward a suitable candidate to replace someone...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: I thank Senator Barrett for tabling these amendments. This is an important debate. I have previously been in the House when Senator Barrett raised the issue of the number of people in the Department of Finance with economics qualifications. I expected the Senator would raise the issue again today and have with me the statistics in this regard. I am glad to inform the Senator that 99 civil...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. I think it would be entirely appropriate for the council to comment on what aspects of those submissions are achievable and what aspects are not. This is an entirely independent body. It determines its own work plan. Obviously, its functions for the purposes of the question of fiscal balances are set out. It is the strong view of the...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: I thank the Senator.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: I thank the Senator for withdrawing his amendment. We are providing for the formal establishment of the council in legislation. The council has already been hugely proactive and constructive in the assessments and reports it has issued. Now that the council is in place, the Government is required to respond quickly to its assessments. I had to defend the Government in such circumstances...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: This is the one-month provision again.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: Two of these amendments were discussed thoroughly on Committee Stage in the Dáil. At the time, Senator Reilly's colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, asked for a fuller response from the Department of Finance to the reports of the fiscal advisory council. When the Minister, Deputy Noonan, committed to get such a response, that was accepted by Deputy Doherty. The same amendment was not moved...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: I thank the Senator for his amendment as it has opened up this debate. The fiscal council is entirely independent of the Government. Professor McHale and his colleagues are doing a very constructive job in speaking out and giving their assessment as to where we stand in terms of the current fiscal imbalance, referred to in the Senator's amendment. I agree with the Senator that the objective...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: Senator Barrett asked a question earlier about the section.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: The question was about subsections (4) and (5).

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: The issue was also raised in the other House. Subsection (4) applies where a correction plan is in operation, as required under section 6(1). If exceptional circumstances arise during the implementation of the correction plan, its implementation will be stopped when the circumstances change. That is straightforward. A new plan under section 6(1) would then be required. Subsection (5)...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: I thank Senator Reilly for tabling amendment No. 12. We do not propose to accept amendment No. 12. The fiscal council has been established to address gaps in fiscal policy analysis and to provide assessments and recommendations on fiscal policy. Imposing a wide mandate on the fiscal council would require larger resources, both in staff and budgetary allocation. Expanding the mandate would...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Nov 2012)

Brian Hayes: I thank the Senators for their amendments. As stated during the Dáil debates, on both Committee and Report Stages, the policy issues raised in the amendments are of much wider scope than the substance of the Bill. The Senators have identified some of the issues any Government would have to consider in preparing a correction or budgetary plan. However, it should be noted that we are...