Results 10,041-10,060 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: It is hoped to have that legislation before the House so that these issues can be discussed further.

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: It will be published after the Dublin Transport Authority Bill has been passed.

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: Every effort will be made to accommodate as many Deputies as possible on Second Stage. Time will be available this evening, tomorrow and Thursday. Everyone will have ample opportunity to give his or her basic opinions.

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: The issue was dealt with by way of regulation.

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: There is no need for such a Bill.

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: I am always anxious to accommodate Deputy McHugh. The Bill will be published later this year.

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: We do not have a publication date for the public health Bill.

Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: I must check with the Minister, as I do not know.

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: The ESRI believes there will be negative growth of 0.4% this year. That would be the most negative forecast we have heard in recent times. The consensus is that we will have some growth. Obviously, we will be providing our half yearly figures from the Department of Finance next week and will make an assessment based on the most up-to-date data we have. By their nature, forecasts are...

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: The delusion is very much on the part of the Fine Gael spokesperson on enterprise and employment who suggested that the changes we see in the economy currently mean we are back into the 1980s and worse. The ESRI does not say that. It says, that despite the negative short-term forecast, the economy is better placed to emerge from the current difficulties than it was in the past. The ESRI's...

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: To portray the difficulties we have as a repeat of the 1980s is delusional on the Deputy's part.

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: I do not accept that.

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: Do the Deputies want to hear the answer? I listened in silence to what Deputy Kenny had to say, although there was not much content to it, but I will answer it.

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: With regard to our budgetary policy, in good times we have surpluses and in more difficult and stringent times we have deficits. That is what is called a counter cyclical budgetary policy. That is how one is supposed to run the economy. As a result of running our economy in that way over the past decade, we have created hundreds of thousands of jobs. There is a challenge for the economy...

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: A correction is taking place in the housing market, as Deputy Gilmore says. That has a drag of about 4% on growth this year, according to the ESRI. I will not go over the history of it but the uncertain tax cuts proposed by the Labour Party over an uncertain period during which we needed to bring buoyancy into the market and bring prices down to affordability levels, by what we subsequently...

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: ——because we are in a much better position to deal with the situation than we were then due to our debt reduction policies in the course of the good times. The contention that windfall revenues were used on current expenditure is not correct. Over 70% of those windfall revenues, above what was projected, went towards debt reduction. Some 80% of our expenditure relates to health,...

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: What number of special needs assistants and extra teachers should we not have put into schools? Those reflect the increases in expenditure. We are also proceeding with a capital programme that is 12% higher than last year and which we would like to maintain. We are confident in increasing the productive capacity of the economy when the upturn comes. An upturn in the world economy will...

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Opposition cannot have it every way. It suggests that the Government should not run a deficit in bad times, which, I understood, is the reason that one should run a deficit, having run surpluses in 11 of the past 12 budgets during good times. If it should not run a deficit, what areas of policy does the Opposition want me to cut?

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Granard school of economics has just spoken.

Leaders' Questions (24 Jun 2008)

Brian Cowen: The basic point is that we are facing challenges.