Results 34,401-34,420 of 36,133 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: I am not getting a direct answer to my question. The Minister keeps talking about the ESM which has been agreed to in the European Union but does not exist in Irish law. Many things have been agreed to in the European Union but have changed in subsequent months. There is no guarantee that the ESM will come into law across all EU Parliaments. I am asking the Minister whether a change in...

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: Schedule 1 is where we get to the nitty-gritty. We are opposing the Bill and this Schedule. I will not delay the House, but I have a number of points to make. The text on page 10 of the Bill, from lines 11 to 25, deals with the extension of maturities of EFSF loans. It states: "We have decided to lengthen the maturity of future EFSF loans to Greece to the maximum extent possible from the...

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate what the Minister has said so far. The quote comes from the Heads of State in the euro area, but I do not understand why it is included in this legislation. In dealing with legislation we know how important a word is, but this does not give us scope to have loans from the EFSF for less than 15 years. Under the EFSF, we have been able to avail of loans for less than 7.5 years...

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: That was only my first point about the Schedule. In fairness, as this legislation is about keeping money back, we will have a short while in which to go through this sham. Page 12 deals with the service fee and I seek the Minister's explanation. It reads in regard to the service fee in respect of EFSF loans: This shall provide remuneration for the Guarantors and shall be specified in the...

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: I understand that and agree with the idea of providing money at cost. Obviously, the EFSF should not lose out as a result of. However, if one looks at the line written above which is to change, it reads: "the third sentence shall be deleted and replaced by the following sentence:"The pricing which will apply to each Loan is intended to cover the cost of funding" [which is fair enough] "and...

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: There are no limits on the margin.

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: That is fair enough.

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: I have one final point, to which the Minister referred at the conclusion of his Second Stage speech. For the record, I am not naive and know this is not the legislation under which the ESM will be introduced. It will be provided for later. However, we cannot get away from the fact that by passing this legislation we are referring to the ESM for the first time. It is mentioned not once or...

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: They are putting that money into the pockets of those in the banks.

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: Has the Minister ever come across loan sharks? Those individuals lend one money, but they take one's blood in return.

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: That was not what the Fine Gael manifesto stated.

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister should have clarified that he did not support the Fine Gael manifesto which stated it might be forced to act unilaterally.

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: Italy and Spain were going in that direction beforehand.

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister argued for it last week.

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (21 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: I know, but the Minister is arguing-----

European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: With every day that passes the euro crisis gets deeper. Last night Italy was again in the spotlight as Standard & Poor's cut its credit rating by one notch from A+ to A. Meanwhile the world's financial media is camped out in Athens waiting for what many people believe is the inevitable Greek default. All the while the financial markets circle the eurozone like a wake of vultures, drooling...

Written Answers — Professional Fees: Professional Fees (20 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: Question 106: To ask the Taoiseach the potential savings to the Exchequer by reducing professional fees paid by the State by 25%. [24288/11]

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: Question 148: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of centrally buying books for use by all primary and secondary schools and distributing them. [24405/11]

Written Answers — Public Service Remuneration: Public Service Remuneration (20 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: Question 187: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the savings that would be made to the Exchequer if all public sector salaries, including those at semi-State bodies, were reduced and capped at €100,000 per annum. [24406/11]

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Sep 2011)

Pearse Doherty: Question 294: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a back to school allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22. [24875/11]