Results 35,261-35,280 of 35,959 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I may not have indicated properly that I wished to contribute earlier. Unlike Senator O'Toole in his comments that he had a good guess as to the Minister's reply, I did not. This amendment makes sense. Having listened to the full debate it is clear that as far back as 2002 the Government wanted to see it happen. I agree that the Minister's argument makes sense as to bringing in the tax...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate my recommendation No.6 has been ruled out of order. However, when discussing the issue of income tax we need to deal with this section and consider examining other options. I will bring forward a recommendation on Report Stage. Question put and agreed to. Sections 5 and 6 agreed to. Recommendation No. 7 not moved. Section 7 agreed to. Sections 8 to 11, inclusive, agreed to....

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: Section 12 deals with the abolition of relief for service charges. I will be tabling a recommendation on Report Stage to deal with the discretionary tax reliefs and the issue of harmonisation of discretionary tax reliefs. It would be a significant source of income for the State if tax reliefs were standardised and if many of the outdated property tax reliefs were abolished. Question put and...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I am not sure about this recommendation. The situation could be abused. To borrow Fine Gael's own line, the money should follow the patient. I look forward to the debate, however, because some GPs are making huge profits from tax reliefs and we should target the reliefs properly. We see businesses and community and voluntary groups fund-raising locally for much needed equipment in the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I said at the beginning that I was unsure about this recommendation. I am even more so now having listened to Fine Gael and the one Fianna Fáil Senator on the matter. While I accept the recommendation's objective are laudable and one to which we all want to work, this is a property tax relief. In the past, incentives to provide more nursing homes, hotel beds to increase tourist numbers or...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: Rinne mé dearmad comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Aire ar maidin faoin Roinn úr. Guím gach rath air san am amach anseo. In line with Senator Alex White's comments, I refer to recommendations Nos. 38 and 39. Recommendation No. 38 deals with oversight and the accountability of NAMA to the Houses of the Oireachtas. It envisages the establishment of a cross-party committee, to which NAMA...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I will address recommendation No. 39 first. From the response the Minister gave we seem to be on the same page but in reality we are on two different chapters. We have the quarterly reporting which is done to the Minister for Finance. The Minister said that the Minister is disposed to the idea of a cross-party committee or sub-committee on NAMA. If what we are talking about is executing...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I agree that there is a level of oversight in the NAMA legislation and that there is Oireachtas oversight. We do not deny that because a report will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. As the Minister correctly stated, these recommendations seek to increase the level of oversight. The Minister also stated that the Minister for Finance is open to the idea of establishing a...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: Was the Minister's approval required? Did he need to sign off on increasing the fee of the chairperson of NAMA by 70%?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I move recommendation No. 38: In page 235, before section 154, to insert the following new section: 154.---The following section is inserted in the National Asset Management Agency Act 2009 after section 2: "2A.---In the first year of its establishment, NAMA shall report to the Houses of the Oireachtas quarterly and set out a detailed report of its activities. All purchases acquired by NAMA...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I move recommendation No. 39: In page 236, before section 155, to insert the following new section: 155.—The Minister will be required to place all decisions relating to the remuneration of NAMA board members before the Houses of the Oireachtas for approval.".

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: Yes. Recommendation put.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I do not know if I could beat such an offer from Senator Burke. I do not agree with him but-----

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: Some of the recent debate in the Lower House on Deputy Varadkar's comments illustrates the closeness in economic policy of the two major parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. It is clear that there are those within the Fine Gael Party who are not trying to get into government and who support Government policy. This amplifies the fact that the two parties have a similar economic policy,...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: The Seanad should be used as a forum in which to tease out different policies. We argue for a third rate of tax of 48% for individuals with incomes in excess of €100,000. That would be fair. If one has an income in excess of €100,000, one could be liable to pay tax on the excess at a rate of 48%. I cannot see why that should not be applicable. The Department of Finance has shown it...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: No, it would not. I refer the Minister of State to a reply to a parliamentary question from the Department of Finance. He prefers to suggest Department of Finance officials, through the Minister for Finance, should mislead the Dáil in answer to a question. When we asked if a third rate of tax of 48% was to be introduced for individuals with an incomes in excess of €100,000, the answer...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: Why did some adviser not sit down with the Minister to inform him that the plan would not wash because we were pumping billions of euro into Anglo Irish Bank and the Minister was about to agree or give him consent to an increase in the payment made to the chairperson of 70% or €70,000? At a time when the Government is crucifying people who are dependent on social welfare payments and...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: Perhaps we should not blame the Minister for that issue because it seems, from what Deputy Mattie McGrath told RTE today, that the Minister was not aware these payments were to be made, but he is aware now. He is also aware that this is money we have taken off the sick, the disabled, pensioners, young unemployed and front-line public sector workers. I met such a worker yesterday in my...

Seanad: Health Services. (24 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire, an Teachta Ó Cuív, go dtí an Seanad. Go pearsanta, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis as ucht an Roinn úr atá faighte aige. Cé go raibh go leor deacrachtaí agam le scéimeanna agus ciorraithe éagsúla, measaim gur cailliúnt mór í don Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta nach mbeidh an Aire ann a thuilleadh. Tá a fhios agam go...

Seanad: Health Services. (24 Mar 2010)

Pearse Doherty: I acknowledge the Minister is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children but it is amazing that the information that has been provided is the same information that was provided in June 2009. I have two documents in front of me. One is a document signed by the local health manager in Donegal, John Hayes, which clearly outlined the hours to be delivered for the...