Results 3,061-3,080 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: That is our position.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: I wish to make it clear to the Deputy that in every respect in which that can be achieved, we will ask the board to act. That is what the present management and board is committed to doing. The Deputy made a comment last week, 15 April, warning against over-regulation, as it was his latest worry. The headline stated, "Kenny cautions against property 'over-regulation'." There have been...
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: The Government is acting positively and proactively to try to ensure it fixes the system in which it is clear there have been systematic institutional failures with regard to the banking crisis. This is precisely what the Government is doing. As for the Deputy's position, I sometimes wonder whether it is about maintaining an atmosphere of total negativity here regarding the economy and its...
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: Both can be done.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: We can do both and we are doing both.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: As for the matters that were raised today and yesterday, the Government took legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General and section 50 does not deal with this issue at all. It does not empower the Minister to intervene to prevent the bank from making a payment to its own pension fund, which it is required to do to ensure the pension fund can meet its liabilities to all staff.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: That is not the case. I hold no brief for any bank executive or bank in respect of these matters. This is what happened. I do not hold any brief for them and nor am I here to justify it.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: We all recognise the sensitivity-----
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: ------about how ordinary people or people in the street will regard this in the context of their own particular challenges and difficulties. However, I am setting out the facts against some of the distortions being put out by Deputy Kenny regarding amounts, whether personal amounts were being paid to Mr. Boucher and all the rest of it.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: I am explaining the factual objective case.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: I acknowledge and commend Mr. Mulvey for his work in facilitating the talks on the draft Croke Park agreement, which now must be reflected on by everyone. My point and that of Mr. Mulvey is that this agreement provides us with the means of going forward to build domestic confidence in our economy that is similar to the international confidence that has been engendered by the decisions that...
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: However, unless we are prepared to look at that bigger picture-----
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: -----and not allow individual issues to colour or detract from what we are trying to achieve for the country as a whole. This is the purpose of what the Government is trying to do and is the reason it has stated clearly that these issues are being dealt with in the context of the banking inquiry.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: They will be dealt with in a comprehensive way through a commission of investigation, which is how it should be done. There are important questions to be answered in respect of the systemic and other failures that took place in the independent regulatory system.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: In the meantime, however, the Government has a country to run.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: It must get the country moving and we must give confidence to the people that we are going to go forward.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: First, on the question pertaining to Irish Nationwide and my term as Minister for Finance, I make clear to the Deputy that as I stated yesterday, the issue of legislation came up in respect of the Building Societies (Amendment) Act 2006. That Act pertained to providing an opportunity for building societies to remain mutual or to demutualise. There were meetings between the Irish Nationwide...
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: I have been fully frank with this House at all times in respect of any questions that have been asked at any time. I have nothing to hide in terms of this matter despite another conspiracy theory that Deputy Gilmore might want to engender today.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: The Building Societies (Amendment) Act 2006 was not simply about the possibility of a demutualisation of one building society. It was also about ensuring the continued mutualisation of another building society, the EBS.
- Leaders' Questions (21 Apr 2010)
Brian Cowen: That is the second point. That is also correct. In fact, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government would be the line Department in the preparation of legislation in that respect. I was, as Minister for Finance, obviously ensuring-----