Results 9,421-9,440 of 10,460 for speaker:Gerry Horkan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I thank Ms McKiernan for her opening statement and her interaction thus far. I will develop Senator Paddy Burke's point on deposits. Ms McKiernan refers to self-imposed limits. At the moment, even if they were not imposing limits, the question is what they do with money that they take in that they are effectively being charged by the bank a cost to mind. That is what we were told on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Ms McKiernan is the regulator, not the credit unions' adviser, but has she any advice or suggestions for a credit union that is effectively turning away deposits on how they can resolve that quandary that they find themselves? I take the point that there are things they can do, including finding younger people and developing the business model. Is there anything else?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Responsibly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: For most people to borrow they must have saved in the first place. To save means putting in deposits but to do that brings us back to the issue we are in. Part of that is the investment capability in terms of what the credit unions are allowed to invest in, which is quite restricted. I am sure there are reasons it is as restrictive as it is. On Tuesday, we got issues on the very strict...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: However, the Central Bank is open to the idea of broadening it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Is there scope to amend the Act or to introduce new legislation to broaden the scope or eliminate some legislative restrictions appropriately and prudently?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Did Ms McKiernan get a chance to look at our interaction on Tuesday?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: There was a palpable sense of frustration from most of the speakers who contributed. Ms McKiernan will acknowledge that. Yet, we are getting quite a different position from the Central Bank and the Department of Finance this morning. The previous speakers argued that there was an absolute deficit of meaningful engagement with the Department and the Central Bank. The CUAC report...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: We looked at Ms McKiernan's "Mind the Gap" speech. I have read that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I will wrap up with a final couple of small points. Does Ms McKiernan wish to refute any of the issues that were alluded to on Tuesday? Does she wish to say that any of them were not correct and are not what her office wanted? My final point, separate to that, is on an argument that was being put forward, which I was trying to tease out. Nobody was saying that the regulation was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Is the Registrar saying that it is the sector's problem? I am only able to conclude that the sector needs to do it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I thank Ms McKiernan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: The question is, is it that the sector has to bring forward issues to deal with the common bond in order for the funds to be available for social housing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (23 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: On which the credit unions have the majority.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I have a relatively brief point. I ask the Leader to raise, with the Minister for Health, I presume, the issue of the disabled drivers' medical board of appeal. If a person applies for disabled driver status and it is not granted automatically, there is an appeal mechanism in place. I have a letter here from the secretary to the disabled drivers' medical board of appeal thanking me for my...

Seanad: Reports on Motor Insurance Costs: Statements (22 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I welcome the opportunity to debate the report of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach on the rising cost of motor insurance and the report of the working group on same. Almost immediately following the establishment of the aforementioned Oireachtas committee last June, the unsustainable rising cost of motor insurance was identified as an urgent issue...

Seanad: Reports on Motor Insurance Costs: Statements (22 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Our final speaker, as of now, is my fellow member of the joint committee, Senator Paddy Burke.

Seanad: Reports on Motor Insurance Costs: Statements (22 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Before I go back to the Minister of State, I would like to acknowledge that Eoin Hartnett, our policy adviser from the joint committee on finance, is in the Visitors Gallery. He was very closely involved with putting our reports together and I thank him for his work. I invite the Minister of State to make his concluding remarks.

Seanad: Reports on Motor Insurance Costs: Statements (22 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: I thank the Minister of State for his very comprehensive response. He was devoting an average of approximately three minutes to each speaker. Just 29 minutes and 45 seconds after he begun, I am thanking him for his response. I thank all Senators who contributed to the debate. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating for all of us as we see our insurance renewal notices arrive year...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Overview of the Credit Union Sector: Discussion (21 Mar 2017)

Gerry Horkan: Does Mr. Johnson wish to contribute to that same point?