Results 8,941-8,960 of 10,460 for speaker:Gerry Horkan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: ECOFIN Meeting: Minister for Finance (6 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: The Minister is basically saying that the most likely way of reducing debt, or the quickest way of using the sales of the bank shares to reduce that debt it is to put it straight into-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: ECOFIN Meeting: Minister for Finance (6 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: On the issue of corporation tax, we have had various commissioners into us here discussing the common consolidated corporate tax base, CCCTB, the pressures on our tax base and how our income from corporation tax might be affected by various proposals from Europe. I accept that there needs to be unanimity but there may be pressure in other ways to get us to adapt our position. We have a very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: ECOFIN Meeting: Minister for Finance (6 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I thank the Minister for that. He is obviously also still the Minister for Public Expenditure and this joint committee is as much concerned with public expenditure as it is with finance. On the spending elements, the population is growing and people are living longer, which is welcome. Population growth in itself, however, puts a lot of pressure on things like school places and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: ECOFIN Meeting: Minister for Finance (6 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: That figure is not to improve anything. It is just to keep things as they are.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: ECOFIN Meeting: Minister for Finance (6 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: That is just because the population is growing, however. It will not reduce the pupil-teacher ratio or give additional SNAs to a greater percentage of pupils. That is what I am really asking here. More teachers will be hired simply because there are more pupils.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: ECOFIN Meeting: Minister for Finance (6 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Last week the European Commission published its reflections on the EU budget. It makes for sobering reading in how it outlines the challenges facing the EU budget, particularly in the aftermath of Brexit. Has the Minister or his officials had any time to reflect upon or review this report? What challenges and difficulties are contained within it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: ECOFIN Meeting: Minister for Finance (6 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I thank the Minister and wish him well in his new role.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Can I formally second that proposal?

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I am only formally seconding the proposal.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I formally second Senator Swanick's motion on life-saving equipment and damage to it and thank other Senators for their support for the Bill. As Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach, I welcome the ongoing investigation into motor insurance. It was announced yesterday that there was an investigation by the Competition and Consumer...

Seanad: Life Saving Equipment Bill 2017: First Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I second the proposal.

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: It is a Government amendment.

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Sinn Féin is not in government yet.

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Not down here.

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I thank the Minister of State for the clarification. I am not sure whether it is the first time ever we have seen a Government amendment that is worded exactly like a Sinn Féin amendment, but perhaps that is new politics. It is helpful-----

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: If Fine Gael and Sinn Féin want to co-operate in power, that is their own business.

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: That is it - like us all. The Minister of State may have been a member of the select committee at the time the Bill was being discussed. I am not sure whether he was there at the time but I do think it is a good idea that there is a definition and there has been agreement between all sides. It is to the benefit of the consumer and, ultimately, wider society that this happens, so I am...

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Amendments Nos. 2, 6, 9, 11 and 14 are all Government amendments, while amendment No. 15 is in the name of Sinn Féin Senators. I assume that Senator Conway-Walsh and the Government are happy with amendment No. 15.

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I welcome the amendment. These things are difficult and involve legal costs and so on. Advisors might be involved, and it becomes very expensive. Where possible, mediation should at least be tried. It might fail and matters might have to progress to the next stage. People are being put under pressure, having gone to the FSO. If there is a situation in which mediation can be used we...

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (5 Jul 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I move amendment No. 13:In page 7, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following:“Section 57CI of the Principal Act (as inserted by section 16 of the Act of 2004) is amended by the insertion of the following after subsection (5):“(5A) The Financial Services Ombudsman Council shall review on an annual basis the maximum compensation ceiling prescribed by the Regulations of the...