Results 801-820 of 1,279 for speaker:Michael Ahern

Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Referral to Select Committee. (18 May 2005)

Michael Ahern: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, in accordance with Standing Order 120(1) and paragraph 1(a)(i) of the Orders of Reference of that committee.

Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed). (18 May 2005)

Michael Ahern: The individuals in question will have nothing to explain if they were not in the tax net.

Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed). (18 May 2005)

Michael Ahern: I should have the Deputy's job so.

Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed). (18 May 2005)

Michael Ahern: It copied ours.

Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed). (18 May 2005)

Michael Ahern: We were leading and it followed.

Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Second Stage. (18 May 2005)

Michael Ahern: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to bring the Bill before the House. It was initiated in the Seanad on 29 March and completed all Stages on 26 April. A number of amendments were made on Committee Stage in the Seanad and I will refer to the principal amendments later. Since the International Financial Services Centre was launched in 1987, the Government has made...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (12 May 2005)

Michael Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 to 123, inclusive, together. The heads of the Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005 were drafted by officials of my Department. A diverse group of persons and bodies contributed to the drafting of the heads of the Bill. These include the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority, IFSRA, the Dublin Funds Industry...

Written Answers — Economic Partnership Agreements: Economic Partnership Agreements (11 May 2005)

Michael Ahern: I have read with interest the recent position paper that sets out the UK view on how best the commitment to put development at the heart of the EPA negotiations can be best delivered. I would agree with the basic thrust of an approach to the EPAs which ensures that the needs and concerns of developing countries are taken adequately into consideration during the substantive phase of these...

Written Answers — Economic Partnership Agreements: Economic Partnership Agreements (4 May 2005)

Michael Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 to 274, inclusive, together. EPAs are, first and foremost, instruments for development that will foster the smooth and gradual integration of ACP States into the world economy. Substantive negotiations are currently underway between the EU and ACP states in this regard. As trade is a Union competence, it is the European Commission which conducts the...

Seanad: Child Care Services. (28 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: I thank Senator Bannon for raising this matter. It gives me a welcome opportunity to update the Seanad on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on the important issue of child care, which is a priority for the Government. The Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 is a key element of the national development plan. It is a seven year development programme which...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (28 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: I thank Senator Browne for raising this matter as they provide me with the opportunity to outline to the Seanad, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, the extensive work being undertaken by the Department of Education and Science under the School Building and Modernisation Programme 2005-2009 and to outline the current position on the proposed building projects for scoil náisiúnta...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (28 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: I will find out for the Senator.

Seanad: Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: Section 33 allows the Minister to proscribe by provisional order any market to which market abuse law shall apply. It is important that requirements under the market abuse directives should be capable of being applied to any new market. Any provisional order made by the Minister must be confirmed by an Act of the Oireachtas. It is understood that the Irish Stock Exchange proposes to establish...

Seanad: Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: It applies to all regulated exchanges at present. As Senator McDowell is aware, the Irish Enterprise Exchange has been established very recently by the Stock Exchange. We can apply the regulations if we so wish.

Seanad: Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: The purpose of these amendments is to allow the Minister to make regulations under this Act for the purpose of implementing the prospectus Directive and prospectus regulation. Section 42 provides for penalties on convictions on indictment for offences under Irish prospectus law. This would cover a situation where securities are offered to the public or listed without issuing a prospectus....

Seanad: Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: The amendment corrects an error in the text which had come to our notice. Section 48 was already repealed by the Companies (Amendment) Act 1983 and for legal certainty it should not have been included here. I commend the amendment to the House.

Seanad: Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: I outlined the approach we were taking to offers of securities to the public. In essence, we are moving to a situation of accepting the threshold set out in the prospectus directive as the threshold that should determine whether a full prospectus must be prepared. Where securities are offered to the public or listed on a recognised stock exchange, the prospectus directive provides that where...

Seanad: Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: I do not.

Seanad: Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: We have no idea. We have no statistics on this area.

Seanad: Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Apr 2005)

Michael Ahern: The philosophy behind this particular section is to make it less costly for small entrepreneurs to raise money and not to have them tied up in the considerable red tape and detail required under the prospectus directive. As Senator McDowell stated and as I said, there is a certain amount of risk involved in this area but we are not talking about large amounts of money. The people who would...