Results 5,461-5,480 of 10,460 for speaker:Gerry Horkan

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: I am aware. I am usually the one to point out they are not. On the Order of Business, will we be getting one hour and 30 minutes from now for statements on public service broadcasting or are we adjourning at 6.15 p.m.?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: I ask that the Leader would amend the Order of Business to give us one hour and 30 minutes.

Seanad: Public Service Broadcasting: Statements (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: It would be useful to have it.

Seanad: Public Service Broadcasting: Statements (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: I am speaking on behalf of my colleague, Senator Leyden, who, unfortunately, is out of the country but who would have liked to be here to speak about an issue in his brief. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is not normally responsible for dealing with broadcasting matters and is probably covering for the Minister, Deputy Bruton. We understand Ministers are often not available, but it is...

Seanad: Public Service Broadcasting: Statements (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: That is double.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: I thank Mr. Deering for his opening statement. Of the 8,870 complaints discussed, approximately 1,174 relate to tracker mortgages. That is approximately one eighth of the overall business. Have most of the 3,178 that were inherited been resolved? I can see that 4,443 of the 8,870 complaints have been addressed but some of them are probably included in the new lot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: The 80:20 rule probably applies as much to these cases as it does to anything else, in that there will be some problematic cases that hang around for ever. I am just trying to get a handle on the figures in Mr. Deering's opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: I presume that as the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman becomes more established and as its staff become more familiar with legislation, they will be better and more experienced in their work. The ombudsman has recruited 43 people, while losing 36. It has spent an awful lot of time recruiting people, whether through agencies or advertisements and so on. Approximately 80% of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: Does the ombudsman recruit staff through the Public Appointments Service?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: Once the employee joins the ombudsman's system, he or she will be part of the public service.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: That might explain the figure of 53. Presumably, many of those people have gone.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: Is it one half or two thirds?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman is losing corporate knowledge all of the time and in any business it is difficult to retain a certain level of corporate intelligence when one keeps losing staff.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: I am not trying to fault the office of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman. I am just trying to understand the numbers. The fact that the office is so new has meant that people had to make a call one way or the other. That will probably not arise to the same extent in the longer term. Many of the points related to tracker mortgages have been raised. To make a general point,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman has a role in the pensions area, which is also in the financial services industry. Is the number of complaints falling or rising?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: That is what I am driving at. Over time, if banks act in the way they are supposed to act, Mr. Deering's office will not have as much work to do. People will always have the opportunity to submit a complaint, however vexatious or frivolous, in the hope that they might get something out of it. I do not think Mr. Deering's office is seeing many such cases. He is seeing people who come to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: Is it fair to say that the tracker mortgage issue as a live issue is dying away at this stage and the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman does not expect to receive many more complaints about it? There are 170 cases or thereabouts on hold but I presume the office does not expect a surge in complaints.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: The time limits will kick in at some point. Eventually, perhaps in six years' time, the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman will no longer receive tracker complaints, although other issues may arise in the future. On insurance and dual pricing, maybe it is my fault but we get used to insurance companies coming out with any old premium. Mine went from something over €200 to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: Would that be very difficult to prove? I am a certain age and live at a certain address and I am not told if there is a premium or loading for that. If I provide my details on the various insurance websites, they come up with very different figures. I am the same person, only a little older with a slightly older car, and I am not driving any more or less than I did previously. Different...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Tracker Mortgages and Differential Pricing in Insurance: Discussion (19 Nov 2019)

Gerry Horkan: I am trying to give Mr. Deering a hypothetical situation. It could be twin brothers who apply to the same company with the same driving history, the same age and the same general profile yet one gets a different price to the other. One might be charged €400 and the other might be charged €700. What is the difference? That might be the only case that could be compared easily....