Results 4,141-4,160 of 16,478 for speaker:Tommy Broughan

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (6 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: 275. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of greyhounds exported to Pakistan in the years 2015, 2016 and to date in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17245/17]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (6 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: 276. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of greyhounds exported to Argentina in each of the years 2013 to 2016 and to date in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17246/17]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports (6 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: 277. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of animals exported by type of animal and country of export in each of the years 2014 to 2016 and to date in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17247/17]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports (6 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: 278. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of prosecutions taken against exporters of live animals in each of the years 2013 to 2016 and to date in 2017 for contraventions of regulations governing the transport of live animals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17248/17]

Other Questions: Third Level Funding (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: The Minister mentioned employer contributions of €200 million. The rise in Exchequer funding is dismal compared to the level of funding before austerity began. What are the Minister's plans for the 2018 budget? Is the Minister considering any specific additional thing? The Minister's party seems to be the one party that does not have a clear view on the issue. One has not been...

Other Questions: Third Level Funding (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: 41. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures that he is taking to begin to address the €600 million needed for third level education funding to 2021; the measures he is preparing for budget 2018 in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16495/17]

Other Questions: Third Level Funding (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: About an hour ago I chaired a briefing by the Union of Students in Ireland concerning its position paper on the funding of higher education. The student representatives have grave concern that the Minister is strongly considering the third option in the Cassells report of income-contingent loans as a system of funding higher education. They outlined to us forcefully how such a system would...

Other Questions: Third Level Funding (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: The student representatives outlined to us the impact on students. It is a huge struggle to get through college in the first place with the rents and other living costs, given the existing registration fee the previous Fine Gael-Labour Government dramatically increased. All of that adds to making it very difficult, particularly for people from disadvantaged areas. The Minister and I both...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: I apologise for missing the earlier part of the meeting. One of the events I was attending was with the Union of Students in Ireland who were putting forward their strong opposition to student loans as a way of funding third level education into the future. Do either of the Departments have any ideas on a way forward in that regard? I was also questioning the Minister about it. There may...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: In reply to Deputy Calleary's point the witness said that people want to spend and spend and reduce taxes. Not all Deputies, however, feel like that.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: We make submissions to both Departments where we try to balance budgets. It is the role of this committee. We propose a surplus, which may be from different new tax initiatives.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: He is interested in tax expenditures. I know it only exists since the last Government, but has the Department of Public Expenditure and reform taken tax expenditure seriously enough? Recent reports show that, for example, the research and development, R&D, tax credit which has operated over the period of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, is costing up to €1 billion...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: Is there an expiry date on those expenditures?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: What is the global estimate of those tax expenditures at present?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: With regard to the fiscal monitor on the debt servicing costs, Exchequer debt servicing to the end of March was €2 billion. Does this mean the figure for the entire year is heading for €8 billion?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: I had a discussion last week with the Minister for Finance on what the NTMA calls chimney stacks of debt, which must be refinanced in late 2018 or 2019.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: Obviously the NTMA is following a strategy in this regard, and it gave the committee a thorough report several weeks ago on the work it has done on earlier ESF and austerity-era loans. Observers remain concerned about exactly what is its strategy at present and whether it should be moving faster to address this huge chunk of 34% or 40% of our national debt, which we will have to refinance at...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: Is the disappointing tax take we have had so far related to the beginnings of the uncertainty associated with Brexit? We have been debating Brexit and the start of negotiations yesterday and today in the Dáil . Is it a natural result of our fears of what might happen?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: Improvements in infrastructure were mentioned but it is certainly the case that much of our regional secondary road network is disastrous, even in places which might be familiar to the Secretary General, such as the Howth Road or the Malahide Road. There is much damage there that looks like something from a country that might be struggling to get a basic infrastructure. Will it always be...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Engagement on Overall Fiscal Position: Discussion (5 Apr 2017)

Tommy Broughan: Drivers head into potholes and barely survive.