Results 681-700 of 7,975 for speaker:Joe Higgins

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Do you recognise any prominent features that were manifest in the Irish property bubble and bust from Mr. Black's theoretical outline there, Mr. Quinlan?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: In that regard, Mr. Quinlan, in regard to how it worked with developers and, you know, taking risks and speculation, in The Irish Timesin 2004 there was a prominent article in relation to what was, in those circles, a rather famed deal that Quinlan Private organised, which was the sale of 11 acres which you purchased in 2000 for €32 million and sold, four years later, for €85...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Yes, it's interesting, but-----

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Yes I think Mr. Quinlan is happy to discuss this issue.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: The point that arises, Mr. Quinlan, I'd be very interested in your view is that the 488 apartments that eventually got planning permission, that speculative gain for clients would have transferred, just the gain, into about €70,000 or €80,000 extra on young people purchasing that. Is ... do you see that as being socially just or not?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: No, I didn't suggest that.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: I didn't suggest that, but do you accept that there's ... it's the land prices and the deals that were done at the time added hugely to the burden of young people trying to buy a home?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Finally, Mr. Quinlan, in your introduction to us in relation to the relationships between the property sector and the political world, you say that you gave £20,000 to the Tory Party in England, to four seats I think, four campaigns of £5,000 each to Tory candidates.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Well then to four constituencies-----

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Well, it's ... I'm ...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: "We made a contribution to the English Conservative Party for four seats at £5,000 each at a dinner with David Cameron."

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: "We also made a [another] contribution." And then you say, Mr. Quinlan, that you would have taken seats, or Quinlan Private "would have taken seats at dinners and golf outings held by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the PD's [Progressive Democrats]". What was the purpose of this financing of these political parties?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Mr. Quinlan, I have three brief questions. In your dealings with the banks did you notice growing competition between them for business with you? And was growing market share, in your view, a dominant issue within the lending institutions?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: So it was intense competition?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Okay. Secondly, Mr. Quinlan, a narrative of some witnesses to the inquiry is that the excessive lending by banks to fund property speculation and dealing created a massive bubble which crashed, that the Irish people were saddled consequently with €64 billion of a burden to bail out the failed banks and developers. Now, the inquiry has no legal powers to ask you in relation to...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Finally, Mr. Quinlan, in the development of, I think, what everybody or most people agree was a bubble, did the media play a role in encouraging that, do you ... in your view? And in ... as you know, Independent Newspapers sponsored annual property awards which they gave out at glittering gala evenings. In 2007 you were awarded the Irish investor of the year, you were awarded the Irish...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: And the media role?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (9 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Was the media ... play a role in the development of the bubble, do you think?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (8 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: Go raibh maith agat. Mr. Cowen, in your opening statement, at page 1, you write, "Ireland participated in the newly created Financial Crisis Cell which was not established at E[uropean] U[nion] level until October 2008." Could you tell us what this is about? It's not an organisation that would be known widely, if at all, by ordinary people. Who were the members of this financial crisis...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (8 Jul 2015)

Joe Higgins: And who attended the meetings, Mr. Cowen? Was it political leaders or was it technical people?