Results 9,021-9,040 of 36,192 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: It is a pity that we are having this discussion at all. Ulster Bank's withdrawal of services in the State is a loss to the banking sector. We might get a chance to talk about what type of banking environment would be required for Ulster Bank or a new bank to enter the market. My first question relates to the legally binding agreement with AIB for the sale of approximately €4.2...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate that. We will know more in January about whether that will be elongated or not. Ulster Bank also announced a non-binding memorandum of understanding. MOU. The other one was a legally binding agreement with AIB but this was a non-binding MOU with Permanent TSB for the sale of a €7.6 billion portfolio comprising performing mortgages, excluding tracker mortgages. It was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Does Ms Howard have any sense of the scale of this, even if she does not have an accurate figure? Permanent TSB has a small business book. As we know, it was as low as €50 million. Are we looking at the same scale of the micro SMEs? Is it in that scale of €50 million, is it more like €10 million or is it in the scale of hundreds of millions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I refer to the Lombard Ireland asset business finance part of it. How much is that valued at?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate that. Are we any closer to settling the range of staff? Where is the branch network at in terms of the figure for 25 out of 88? Where is Ulster Bank on the other branches? I ask the witnesses to give the committee an update on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: When are we likely to have a binding agreement between Permanent TSB and Ulster Bank on this portfolio?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: We had a major decision on a record fine relating to IT problems in a regulated financial institution. I am not asking the witnesses to comment on this. Ulster Bank has been plagued by IT failures in the past and many of its customers have been left high and dry without access to their accounts for numerous weeks in the past. Can Ms Howard speak to the committee about the challenge of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I ask the witnesses to address the issue of the branch network. Will Ms Howard outline Ulster Bank's overall loan bank? At what points in 2022 does she expect to have divested from that and have transferred those loan books? How much of that does she expect Ulster Bank to still have at the end of next year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Would that be early next year or later?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Would it be the last quarter?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Ulster Bank must be delighted that the Minister for Finance let it off the hook with the banking levy, given that it will have all of these assets for the majority of next year. I am sure champagne corks were popping in headquarters in the Central Park boardroom.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: How many millions of euro did Ulster Bank make out of that decision?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: How much did Ulster Bank pay last year in respect of the banking levy? It will not pay it next year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Between Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland, particularly this year, the State will take in approximately €80 million less than previously. Given its size, that decision is probably worth at least €40 million to Ulster Bank. I will ask one final question because colleagues want to come in. We dealt with some of the tranches, the legally binding agreement and the memorandum of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Is there any way the witnesses can elaborate further? People will be sitting at home wondering whether a vulture fund will buy the tracker mortgage book or if it will go to one of the mainstream banks. Are there any assurances the witnesses can give on this matter? Maybe they cannot name who they are in discussions with, but is it a high-street retail entity or a vulture fund?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Withdrawal from Irish Banking Market: Engagement with Ulster Bank (8 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: That would be great.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Seirbhísí Farantóireachta (7 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: 99. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development cad é stádas an bháid farantóireachta nua atá saincheaptha d’Oileán Thoraí; cén uair a bheidh an bád réidh le seoladh; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [59967/21]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Primary Medical Certificates (7 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: 194. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will address a matter raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) in relation to primary medical certificates for those severely affected by polio; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60382/21]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (7 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: 223. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of executive officer vacancies filled by Irish language candidates during 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021 in counties Donegal and Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60534/21]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Birth Registration (7 Dec 2021)

Pearse Doherty: 259. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a foreign birth registration fee for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will be reimbursed to a person who subsequently received confirmation that a naturalisation application was successful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59863/21]