Results 3,461-3,480 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Policies (23 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: 209. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the adequacy of safety at work standards here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51753/23]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Strategies (23 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: 210. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the degree to which he and his Department remain alert to any threats to employment here, whether locally or imported, with particular reference to the need for identification of such threats in order to address them in good time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51754/23]

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Amendment No. 37 is out of order.

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Go raibh míle maith agat a Theachta.

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Amendment No. 15 is ruled out of order because of a potential charge on Revenue.

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: -----when looking at a situation, some people see things as they are and ask "Why?", and others see things as they could be and ask "Why not?".

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I was responding to the comments.

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I sympathise with the Opposition. There comes an occasion when Opposition gets desperate in the face of a response from the Government to a pressing issue. There have been many pressing issues and many of them were attended to in the course of the recent budget in a progressive way and consciously on the basis that people needed a little assistance. It did not all come in one go. It came...

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I assure the Leas-Cheann Comhairle that this is part the amendment.

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: The point I will make is that it is disingenuous to pretend that all these things happened because the Government came into office. That is what the Opposition have said. It has suggested to the public that it is because of the Government that rents went up. Covid-19 came and it was not because the Government was in power. It had nothing to do with it. These things happen in the normal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2023: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: I will mention a couple of issues. Can Mr Gilvarry indicate the extent to which ICNF projects that are fundable are evaluated on their ability to contribute to a reduction in emissions or improvement in the economic situation arising from the reduction of emissions? Would it be 5%, 10%, 20% or zero?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2023: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: The individual Departments will have responsibility for introducing, policing and justifying proposals on a one-off basis.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2023: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: If a Government, now or in the future, was to decide to spend the money because there is an election coming up - this is not specifically about this but about any Government at any time in the future - what would the Department's advice be? It is within the control of the Government of the day to do that if it wishes, even if it might not necessarily be the right thing to do? How can that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2023: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: There are some contradictions along the way. Not so long ago, I dealt with a case where the protection of a bird species in an area was in conflict with the need to provide wind turbines in the same area. It was deemed that the wind turbines would be detrimental to the protection of the wildlife. How will that be measured in the future? There seems to be a doubt about it. Which is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2023: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: How can we avoid a situation, as happened in my constituency some years ago, where the building of a motorway had to be diverted and rearranged because of the existence of a slug, vertigo angustior? It cost €25 million to save the snail's bacon. To this day, we do not know whether that was €25 million well spent. In those kinds of situations in the future, how do we quantify...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2023: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: Since they are EU-set targets, we need to be alert to the fact that the targets are viable, that they have a particular impact and that we do not have to unnecessarily punish ourselves to achieve little. However, if we need to punish ourselves economically, would Mr. Gilvarry agree that we need to be able to achieve a realistic and identifiable benefit?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2023: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: What about the extent to which countries buy carbon credits? My colleague raised that matter already. Who are the biggest offenders in that area? Are we the biggest offender or are some of competitors on a par with us?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2023: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: We should note that as something to identify for the future. Our economy is an open one and subject to the fluctuations that occur in virtually every other economy . We are not the biggest country in the European Union by a long shot. From time to time, we are informed as to what we should be doing in order to achieve particular things. We all recognise that we need to put our shoulders...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2023: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: It appeared that a finality had been reached in the new regime, with a corporation tax rate of 15% being applied in every country. It now appears that every country is not stuck with that, particularly some large countries. Those countries can have an impact on our economy in a dramatic way because they are larger than us and have clout. They have also made reference to this country. I do...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Supplementary)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Supplementary)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Supplementary)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Supplementary)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Supplementary)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Bernard Durkan: We should finish by 5 p.m., although I do not think we will. We will do our best. I will accommodate the meeting by keeping my contribution as short as possible. First, I thank the Minister and Ministers of State for coming before the committee. The importance of them being present is evident. I do not propose to go through the entire agenda line by line as that would take us until...