Results 26,221-26,240 of 35,894 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Delays (17 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: 357. To ask the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive an appointment for an operation in Sligo General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6769/15]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Delays (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: 122. To ask the Minister for Health the delay in processing a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6205/15]

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: In his opening statement, Professor FitzGerald stated he and his ESRI colleagues did not draw the connection between the growth of a property market bubble and the risks to the financial system and in the 2008 medium-term review, it failed to foresee the impending financial collapse. Given the ESRI’s level of expertise in the Irish economy, why does he believe the financial risks due...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: In respect of research carried out and published by others in newspaper articles - Morgan Kelly is one who springs to mind for example - was such research simply ignored by the ESRI in its forecasts?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: Was there a lack of expertise within the ESRI in respect of financial and banking matters?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate the funding model as Professor FitzGerald has outlined earlier. However, the organisation or the authors of its reports did go on to draw firm conclusions. For example, in the 2008 medium-term review, its authors wrote:The fundamentals of the Irish economy are sound. Even if the immediate future may prove quite difficult, the resilience of the economy is such that, if properly...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: Let me simplify this. Does Professor FitzGerald stand by the statement of May 2008 that the fundamentals of the Irish economy were sound?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: Professor FitzGerald has told the committee the ESRI did not conduct research in areas of banking or financial institutions, yet it came to conclusions that suggested the fundamentals were sound. I assume Professor FitzGerald would suggest that a properly functioning banking system is one fundamental of the economy. Can he explain to the committee why the ESRI came to such a conclusion in...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: Earlier on, Professor FitzGerald mentioned the ESRI publishes everything it does without censorship. In July 2000, The Irish Timesreported that changes to a draft of the medium-term review were requested by an unnamed official in the Department of Finance. These were in respect of strong criticisms made of then proposed single regulatory authority. In 2003, The Irish Timesagain reported on...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: On the freedom of information response which was reported in The Irish Times, the official said that the author of the section apparently had some problems about the perceived interference with their independence. The unnamed official went on to say, "This is not something I find holds much water". The article also says that Professor John FitzGerald was the person who edited the report....

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: There was a draft mid-term review which was quite critical of what the Government was doing on the changes to the Central Bank and the regulator. Professor FitzGerald amended it to contain the more nuanced and suitable language the Department of Finance was looking for. Am I right to say that Professor FitzGerald acknowledges that was a political call by the Department of Finance but that...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: Was this censorship by the Department of Finance?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: Were changes requested and made to the medium-term review of 2008?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: If the Professor does not have them, we will not dwell on them.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: In March 2001, Professor FitzGerald was critical of the then-Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, and the changes made to the 60% capital gains rate on zoned lands. The Irish Timesreported Professor FitzGerald saying there was no incentive for the developers not to hoard land that should be used for residential development. He was also critical of the Minister's plan not to proceed with...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: In relation to the expertise the ESRI holds, notwithstanding that it got a number of things wrong as the Professor has acknowledged, were any officials, including the Professor, contacted by the Department or the Minister in relation to the events leading up to the guarantee, the decision itself or afterwards? Was there any consultation with the ESRI and were its views requested by anybody...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: Professor FitzGerald said that if the rest of the world had not collapsed, we would have come through. He also said that if the ESRI had foreseen the financial crisis, it would have been factored into its assessment of Ireland. Is he a subscriber to the view that were it not for the international crisis, the banks would have been sound? The reason I ask this question is that a number of...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: We know some of the figures for Anglo Irish Bank. What does a term such as "come through" mean? Let us focus on Anglo Irish Bank. In the absence of an international financial collapse does Professor FitzGerald think Anglo Irish Bank would still be trading? Does he believe its losses which we know are in the region of €34 billion would have crystallised, regardless of an...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: Professor FitzGerald gave evidence to the committee that a senior economist in AIB had approached him in respect of a robust stress test at the bank in early 2006. I hope he will provide details of that individual for the committee at a later stage in order that it can follow through on that matter. He also said in his opening statement that the ESRI had not drawn a connection between the...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (11 Feb 2015)

Pearse Doherty: Perhaps it is still not very clear.