Results 8,021-8,040 of 36,188 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update 2022: Minister for Finance (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: My apologies, I was in the Dáil dealing with the Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022. If my questions are repetitive, I can look at the blacks. This is the first time I have seen the Minister since the passing of his mother so I want to sympathise with him and his family. I hope they are all keeping well in these difficult times. We are here to discuss the SPU,...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update 2022: Minister for Finance (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I criticise the fact that the Minister increased the price of home heating oil. That impacts people on fixed incomes and people more widely. I believe the Minister could do more about petrol and diesel prices. They are broad measures. If I brought in a package, some measures would be broad and some would be targeted, such as rent relief. I would bring in a social welfare package that...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update 2022: Minister for Finance (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I explained that to the Minister.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update 2022: Minister for Finance (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Is that a modest surplus for next year?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update 2022: Minister for Finance (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: May I conclude on these two points? To clear up confusion, the Department's package should have been bigger, but in making the broad package bigger it cannot forget about the most vulnerable. That is what I contend. Even with the fuel rebate, core social welfare rates should have gone up. I wish to ask the Minister about the impact of global tax reform on the level of corporation tax...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update 2022: Minister for Finance (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I asked about the €3 billion for the Ukrainian humanitarian contingency.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update 2022: Minister for Finance (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: How many refugees underpin that figure? Does the Minister know? What is the figure based on?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I thank the Chairman for facilitating me, as sponsor of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021, to make opening remarks before I proceed to questioning Mr. Boland of the Alliance for Insurance Reform, who I welcome to the meeting. I also wish to welcome Ms Moyagh Murdock of Insurance Ireland, who will be appearing before the committee later. Before we start, it is important to give my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: How, after awards falling by 42%, are we seeing increases in insurance?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: However insurance companies are supposed to price on the basis of risk. Is this just blatant price gouging given the lack of competition? They know there are competitors out there and businesses are stuck with the businesses that are offered and therefore, regardless of the reduction in rewards, they are simply gouging.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Mr. Boland talked about the difference between motor insurance and public liability and business insurance and community groups, which are very much struggling. We will not just focus on the competition, which is a major issue that has to be addressed in terms of the new office that is being established and whether it is working or achieving its objectives. However I just want to look first...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Let us take for example one of the biggest players in the industry, which is Zurich. It is one of the top seven both here and in the UK. When the CEO of Zurich, Mr. Anthony Brennan, came before this committee in October 2019, he made the point that "if we consider motor insurance, roughly 30% of our claims are personal injury-type or soft tissue damage and we are four times the UK average"....

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update 2022: Minister for Finance (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: With respect, I benefited from many of those packages, as did the Minister. We benefit from the Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022 that is going through the Houses through reduced VAT, excise measures and the household electricity credit, which took a large portion of the additional money that was provided. We are talking about people who are really vulnerable, trying...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: If we are seeing reductions, although not sufficient in terms of motor insurance, we should have been seeing greater reductions with regard to public liability. Is that the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Mr. Boland raised concerns about the wording of the legislation which is "might reasonably have been expected". He questioned whether this would be open to interpretation and vary from insurer to insurer. That is a fair comment. Is Mr. Boland familiar with the regulations introduced in Britain under which the companies here have to operate in Britain?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: This wording is exactly, word for word, the wording in Britain. We do not unfortunately as an Opposition party have the benefits of the guidance of the Attorney General but this is why we have detailed legislative scrutiny. This is exactly what Zurich, Aviva, Alliance, AXA and all the other companies have to do with regard to their accounting. They have to have it audited for the FCA in...