Results 8,881-8,900 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022: Discussion (19 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: The Senator is back again.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022: Discussion (19 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I thank our witnesses for coming forward and giving us of their time. I also thank the members and staff for their contributions. This is important legislation and it has to be even-handed. We have all been aware of situations where things went wrong that should not have gone wrong, and where perhaps we should have been more alert. Notwithstanding all of that, we still have to have a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee (19 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: The first item of business is that consideration of the minutes of yesterday's joint committee meeting will be held over until the next private meeting, on 25 May. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022: Discussion (19 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: There is a problem with the communications. We will suspend briefly to try to sort it out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022: Discussion (19 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Where?

Ceisteanna - Questions: Good Friday Agreement (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 9. To ask the Taoiseach the extent to which he expects the shared island dialogue concept to progress in the aftermath of the Assembly elections in Northern Ireland. [21990/22]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Good Friday Agreement (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I congratulate the Taoiseach on his initiatives under this particular heading. This has obviously become difficult in light of the fact that a co-signatory to an international agreement has withdrawn and has decided unilaterally to disregard and tear up the agreement. To what extent is it possible at this stage to inveigle UK authorities of the urgent need to restore an international...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Nahid Bashardost is an Afghan woman journalist who has highlighted human rights abuses widely in recent years and is now in fear of her life from the Taliban. I ask the Taoiseach to use his good offices to facilitate an early application for asylum here, given her record and given the existence of humanitarian grounds.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 86. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a passport application will be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24937/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I know. I thank the Chairman. I apologise for coming to the meeting so late. I had other commitments all day. Like the Chairman, I have had ongoing engagement with all the banks in respect of outstanding debts, impaired debts and so on. With one or two exceptions, the banks have been willing to talk. That is helpful in the circumstances that prevail. The banks that are being...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I ask Ms Howard to do so because I have been through all these issues with various banks from time to time and my understanding is that banks make tax claims in the event of write-offs of debt or, in other words, under a bad debt heading. That has traditionally been the case and I presume it continues. It is not peculiar to any one bank; it applies to all banks. In the event of an impaired...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I am making a general comment on the matter. The borrower has put it down on paper and asked a question that has already been pursued by Deputy Tóibín. The borrower is willing to do his or her best but will not be able to maintain the full debt, for whatever reason. The debt has been sold, probably at a discount, and, because of that, the borrower is asking for sympathetic...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I would be grateful for that. I will pursue the matter again because I also received a letter from the family concerned. Just like the Chairman, I sat at a table with representatives from the various banks in recent years. Some were sympathetic; others were not. I will not mention any bank in particular. Suffice it to say that in the context of those who were not, I had the doubtful...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: All my life, I have been in injury time. There are several issues to which I wish to refer quickly. I would have thought it be very simple, once the customer agreed on the bank or lending entity to which they wanted their funds transferred, for the selling banks to meet the incoming bank electronically and transfer the account and have done with it, whatever the facilities were. A matter...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: -----that I do not think we have time for. I would like an opportunity at some early stage to raise these in the future. I will finish off by simply saying-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: All right.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: How many minutes do I have?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I recognise what Mr. Brian Hayes said about the service to customers, personal services, etc. It must be emphasised that the customer must be served. The banks will become irrelevant if the customer cannot be served. From the point of view of these Houses, there must be a greater emphasis on the fact that members of the Houses are persons of special interest in terms of security and I do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank and KBC Ireland (18 May 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I need written replies to my questions in that case.