Results 27,101-27,120 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (9 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: I am not clear on whether it is on the recommendation of the commission or a power that the Minister has which he can exercise independently of the commission.

Order of Business (9 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: Is the Tánaiste deferring this until September? Question, "That the Dáil shall sit later than 4.45 p.m. today," put and declared carried.

National Asset Management Agency. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: Question 25: To ask the Minister for Finance the changes he plans to make to the proposals for the National Asset Management Agency as originally outlined. [28106/09]

National Asset Management Agency. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: I want to ask questions to shed more light on what is happening. At the initial stages, we heard that every development loan, totalling €90 billion, was to be taken on by NAMA. More recently, it was indicated that it will be based on screening. Will the taxpayer take on the worst loans after this screening? What is the screening that will narrow it down? What will be the role of the...

National Asset Management Agency. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: Can I take it from the reply that there will be no political oversight of this process of valuation and execution against the criteria? Can I also take it that NAMA will decide if we nationalise? If it gives a haircut that is more than shareholders' funds, we will nationalise and if it gives a haircut less than shareholders' funds we will not nationalise. That decision has been devolved to...

National Asset Management Agency. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: How will that happen?

National Asset Management Agency. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: If shareholders are wiped out, are we not into nationalisation?

Capital Investment. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: Question 29: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has reached a decision on the potential sources of new funding from a pension bond or otherwise for needed infrastructural investments. [27879/09]

Capital Investment. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Minister for his reply. I am sure the Minister is as acutely aware as I am that we have been losing 1,000 jobs every working day since the beginning of the year and approximately half of those are in the construction sector. Against this background, there is a great deal of urgency in the process the Minister announced on 7 April but today, 7 July, there is no progress to...

Capital Investment. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: The Minister did not answer the central question. Has he changed the evaluation in the light of the changed circumstances?

Capital Investment. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: As a member of the Government which created 250 new agencies, to spot the speck in Fine Gael's eye in terms of setting up a holding company to invest €11 billion in State infrastructure that we will need to get out of this recession is biblical in the extreme. Can the Minister give us a deadline against which we will have a decision? An appalling human catastrophe is taking place and we...

Capital Investment. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: The world has changed and the way of looking at PPPs needs to change. We are budget-constrained now.

Financial Services Regulation. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: Although he did not address the matter in his reply, the Minister has committed to examine whether the exposure to fixed-rate mortgages by these lenders is matched by commitments to fixed-rate funding on their part. He has not adverted to the matter but it is a central issue. If the banks do not commit to long-term money they should not charge breakage fees for those committed. I refer to...

Financial Institutions Support Scheme. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: I refer to the ongoing discussions with the banks which the Minister has overseen. What commitments or indications have been entered into with the banks in terms of valuation criteria? Have these been the subject of any of the discussions or are they entirely out of bounds until an Oireachtas view is taken? With regard to the management of the property portfolio which the State will soon...

Pension Provisions. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: What is the Minister's view of the need to reform public pension provisions in the light of this figure? I understand from my colleague, Deputy George Lee, that the total value of private sector funds, which cover four times as many workers, is virtually the same as the value of the liabilities of the public sector. That gives one an impression of the scale of difference in provision for...

Pension Provisions. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: These figures are extremely worrying. There is a 24% approval rate and static credit, and it appears there is no system in place to carry that on to ensure that people are properly informed. The Minister reported that there would be a 30% increase in capacity for first-time buyers and a 10% increase to SMEs. We hear from the Minister that a report he received in April is still being...

Pension Provisions. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: The Minister said the report which was due in March 2009 was submitted on time and he proceeded to tell us the findings of the report, under the recapitalisation package.

Pension Provisions. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: That is not the impression I received. The issue, then, is that we have commitments to increase capacity by 30% and 10% and that is not happening. Since this has been the Minister's central concern throughout the whole banking crisis, does he now believe that specialist negotiations with the banks to deliver certain types of package are needed? Within what timeframe will Government deal...

Pension Provisions. (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: Is the Minister saying the 40% capacity from AIB and Bank of Ireland was delivered?

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (8 Jul 2009)

Richard Bruton: Question 199: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on providing schools participating in the free pre-school scheme a higher capitation grant if they employ teachers with higher educational qualifications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28204/09]