Results 9,501-9,520 of 35,567 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: 279. To ask the Minister for Health if children with spina bifida born before 2008 under the care of St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin have equal access to multidisciplinary services in Temple Street Children’s University Hospital as children born in 2009 and after who are under the care of the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25003/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I welcome Ms McEvoy to the committee to discuss this legislation which I tabled a number of years ago. I expect Ms McEvoy has followed some of the discussion on it, including my intention to amend the legislation to deal with the issues of APR, which I also share. That is the benefit of pre-legislative scrutiny where we get a chance to hear from others who support the intention of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: In the paper published by Ms Mary Faherty, Dr. Olive McCarthy and Dr. Noreen Byrne of UCC in December 2008, co-sponsored by the Central Bank, and entitled Interest Rate Restrictions on Credit for Low-income Borrowers, they recommended a policy which "prohibits usurious rates of interest". Usury is defined as making unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich the lender. They...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate the law does not allow that. That is why I have drafted the Bill to change that. I will go back to my original question. Does Ms McEvoy agree with the recommendation in the report that was co-funded by the Central Bank which calls for the introduction of a restriction on interest rates and charges?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: The question I had was not whether Ms McEvoy supports a cap but whether she supports, as the report outlined, a restriction on interest rates and charges which can be in the form of the total cost of credit. I want to get the director of consumer protection's view on to this. Is the consumer protection division of the Central Bank in favour of restrictions on interest rates and charges...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: That is fine. Let us go into the specifics some more. Turning to the register, let us deal with some examples in the market. The Central Bank has given licences to moneylenders which are permitted to charge APRs of 187%. Does Ms McEvoy believe that is usurious? Does she believe that rate is too high or does she think it is appropriate?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: No, I said I was going to deal with specifics. I acknowledge other moneylenders are charging 54%, and some of the catalogues, etc.. However, the largest moneylender in the State was charging that rate of 187%. Therefore, let us deal with the specifics and I will ask Ms McEvoy a specific question. Is it the Central Bank that determines that rate?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: That is fine. Ms McEvoy said it is a commercial decision. She also made the point that the Central Bank can reject these proposals and it has done so in the past. Therefore, the Central Bank deemed an APR of 187% appropriate in this case, and collection charges then further push up the cost of credit. This legislation is about restricting that level of APR and it is intended to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Ms McEvoy mentioned the cap again. I signalled to the committee previously that it is my intention to move away from an absolute cap, as drafted in the legislation, to a multiplier of the cost of credit, which, in respect of her opening statement, would be in line with the Central Bank, the Social Finance Foundation and other organisations that have given their insights into this issue. My...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: That is great. I appreciate that. It would be helpful if the Central Bank could gather that information for the committee. Moneylenders have adapted their methods, which are extremely costly. Door-to-door collection, for example, is very labour intensive. The moneylender firms achieve high collection rates, but it also results in other issues, such as the rolling over of loans. Ms...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I have final questions on this for Ms McEvoy. With her indulgence, it is straying from the issue of moneylenders and relates to her other role in consumer protection. I have two questions on the insurance issue. The issue of business interruption has not gone away. Many are still complaining about it. How satisfied is the Central Bank that all insurance policies it has deemed should be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Yes. Ms McEvoy might let the committee know when the Central Bank expects the final report or the next stage of the dual pricing report. Is she aware of that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Is it still on track?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Resumed): Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (12 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I thank the Chairman, I appreciate that. Unfortunately I had some technical difficulties and was logged out of my laptop for nearly ten minutes. I missed part of the discussion but I will look back on the transcript. We have had a good engagement. It would be helpful if the Central Bank could forward to the committee at the earliest opportunity the information we have sought. I will...

Residential Property Market: Motion [Private Members] (11 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Gabhaim buíochas le achan duine a labhair sa díospóireacht inniu, go háirithe na Teachtaí a thug tacaíocht don rún os ár gcomhair. I listened to the words of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and, to say the God's honest truth, if the situation were not as serious and if so many people had not had their hopes, dreams and...

Residential Property Market: Motion [Private Members] (11 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I will explain it to him in case he does not understand. The reason we oppose the shared equity scheme is very simple. We believe it risks increasing house prices for people who are already locked out of the market. The Minister need not take our word for it. The Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, the ESRI and the Central Bank have all warned him about the scheme....

Residential Property Market: Motion [Private Members] (11 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: We have been putting forward the proposals set out in this motion year after year in the debate on the Finance Bill. Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party voted against even looking at the idea of additional stamp duty on these types of funds just six months ago. Those parties voted against even looking at that because they want the status quo. Now, because of the public anger,...

Residential Property Market: Motion [Private Members] (11 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: Get out of here.

Residential Property Market: Motion [Private Members] (11 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the housing crisis continues to spiral out of control; — residential property prices have increased by 3 per cent in the 12 months to February; — residential property prices have increased by 88.5 per cent since early 2013; — high rents and residential property prices are making it increasingly difficult...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Real Estate Investment Trusts (11 May 2021)

Pearse Doherty: 232. To ask the Minister for Finance the estimated revenue that would be generated by introducing a 3% stamp duty surcharge on the purchase of residential properties by trusts, partnerships and companies including real estate investment trusts (REITs) and Irish Real Estate Funds (IREFs) and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24233/21]