Results 26,941-26,960 of 34,777 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: I want to move on to housing and the increase in social housing in the past six years. Some 90,000 families are on housing lists.

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: Perhaps the Taoiseach might be good enough to tell us where the two Ministers are. I suspect they have gone off to talk to the media to give a full briefing that was withheld from the Oireachtas. I would love to know where they are. There will be details from the press conference on "Six One".

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: On a point of order, I ask for a commitment in advance of the budget to be announced next year that the two Ministers will sit here to have the courtesy of listening to what the Opposition has to say. If it cannot be delivered, there is a question about whether they should be delivering the script to the national media. The House is the place in which to deliver it and listen to the response.

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: It is on two channels, but there is a disregard for the entire democratic process as the budget is the subject of the biggest statement of the year. Ministers feel they can ad lib, walk away and not listen to what is going on.

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: With regard to housing, the proposed Central Bank changes to mortgage requirements will compound the problems for young people. Home ownership will be concentrated in fewer hands and the majority will have to pay increased rents. I refer to the section of the Minister's statement that refers to a figure of €2.2 billion for social housing provision in the next three years. The...

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: I do not believe any of the figures because NAMA was told to provide houses for local authorities. It offered 4,000 houses, 2,000 of which were rejected by local authorities. I bet it will be able to sell them comfortably through private sales, but there will be no protection for the taxpayer. Local authorities did not take up these houses. Of the 2,000 houses accepted, only 700 have been...

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: I am sorry the Minister is not here because I could say a lot about homelessness. Instead, I will give way to Fr. Peter McVerry who spoke at a conference last Friday attended by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. He captured it well when he said:I'm absolutely dismayed at idea that the tax cuts are going to be at the top rate of tax. [...] Because basically it’s not...

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: We know that the Government is trying to wash its hands of the debacle of water charges, but no amount of washing of hands and hand wringing will get it out of this hole. Households with two adult children will have bills of €482 per annum. The funds in the first two years will go to the more than 500 staff in the super quango which is consuming €180 million in set-up costs,...

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: People are homeless, sleeping in doorways not 100 yd. from this building but the Government’s response is to give tax cuts to the high earners. People cannot afford the new water tax but the Government’s response is to give tax cuts to the high earners.

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: I know the Government feels we should all be aboard the train leaving the station. In its haste, however, it is leaving many people stranded on the platform. Will the Government consider the effects it is having on society? A key aspect of the budget’s proposals is to rebuild our health services. It is not sufficient to just stand still in the delivery of our health services....

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: I refer to page 80 of today's document where, in microscopic print - one would need to go to Specsavers to able to read it - is stated:In addition to the figures provided, the Department of Health is progressing a range of savings measures, €130 million and income generation measures, €330 million, estimated to have the potential to support expenditure in 2015. Further detail...

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: There is €460 million of a black hole and the Minister will not tell us today how it will be fixed. He claims he will increase income generation capacity of the HSE for €330 million with another expenditure cut of €130 million.

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: He came in last year with an expenditure cut of €113 million for his bogus medical card probity. We saw where that got him. It was a shambles. Has he learned nothing? How will these unspecified savings be achieved?

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: The review states, “To do so will involve commitment to ongoing reform and efficiency measures and reprioritisation of expenditure as appropriate.” That means cancel and cut projects.

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: Why will he not tell us today what is in the Estimate?

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: Why do we have to wait for a couple of months for the specific figures to come out? Will the €330 million be made up of additional accident and emergency department charges?

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: Will it be new prescription charges in the HSE annual service plan?

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: Will it be a charge for waiting on a hospital trolley in an accident and emergency unit?

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: That is what it will be. When one goes into hospital from now on, one will be asked for one’s private health insurance number. Then one will be told one can have either the trolley or the chair but will still pay €400 a day because one has private health insurance.

Financial Resolutions 2015 - Budget Statement 2015 (14 Oct 2014)

Seán Fleming: Where else is the Government getting the extra €330 million in income generation? I know where some of it comes from. The Government promised free-GP care for the under-sixes last year.