Results 5,621-5,640 of 35,563 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: 145. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason his Department has failed to respond to a series of requests made regarding the property of a person (details supplied) who previously housed Ukrainian refugees and who wishes to do so again; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59717/22]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: 146. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason his Department has failed to respond to requests made regarding a property (details supplied) which has been offered to house Ukrainian refugees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59741/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: 184. To ask the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in processing an application for the Northern Ireland healthcare scheme for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59713/22]

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I do not want to pick up on the point on deficit and borrowing but I will pick up on Deputy O'Donnell's point about the consistency of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council's approach. The council was clear in its pre-budget statement that the Government's budgetary stance should strike an appropriate balance between creating space to protect the most vulnerable and the rising cost of living....

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: There was quite a bit of discussion before the budget about what that package should be. If I were to look back on the record, which I do not have, I think the council suggested there was scope within what was already unspent, which was about €2 billion. As I said, the overall expenditure was double that increase. I will not dwell on it, but it is an issue. I agree there was scope...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Will Mr. Barnes explain something to people who are perhaps watching the committee? We have had inflation of 8% this year. It is projected to be 7% next year and Mr. Barnes has argued that some of the temporary measures can fall away. He has acknowledged that, when we take the two year period, those on fixed incomes will have a lower living standard next year. That is accepted by the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: The only way that those on fixed incomes can maintain the living standards they had in 2021, is for deflation to happen which is not projected on anyone's cards for next year or the following year. Is that a fair assessment?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: With respect, even if energy prices come down, unless there is deflation those individuals will still be worse-off in 2024 as regards their living standards than they were in 2021. That is just a fact.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Okay. I will move on due to time constraints. I understand that the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council is not supposed to discuss policy anyway. The witnesses discuss it a little more than their predecessors but that is perhaps for another day. I will just talk about inflation and the council's assessment that the primary drivers of inflation are in the areas of energy and food. Obviously food...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: People could be tuning in, and God help them if they are, who have seen their interest rates go up. All those who were told not to worry when their mortgage went to the vulture funds because they are regulated the same way, their interest rates today are 4.4% and 5%. They went up overnight. When the ECB announces its interest hike next month, it will go back up again for those individuals....

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I am not suggesting that they should cut rates. I am asking if the tool they are using to fight inflation is actually fighting inflation now, or is it just giving them the flexibility to deal with the issues when supply issues are dealt with?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I have two final questions. The witnesses talked about temporary measures, which are still even according to the budget 81%, or if businesses are excluded, 71%. I am not sure if there is any concern that there are still so many untargeted measures in the budget. The witnesses provided a really good chart in terms of health staffing and using the growth in the numbers who have reached ages...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I thank Dr. Casey.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Obviously, probably a decade of lost investment has to be factored in as well, so a lot of that type of investment is catch-up. From my recollection, when the national development plan was published and these numbers were factored into the multi-annual spending in terms of the budgets, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council did not critique or criticise these figures. That is why I drew the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (30 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Is it appropriate or not to go up to €2.1 billion? Was the old national development plan, NDP, appropriate or is the underinvestment of more than €2 billion, at a time when we are getting less for every euro? Does the council have an assessment of the appropriate levels, given the challenges?