Results 11,221-11,240 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I was suspicious of that.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: For example, Sean Fleming, Fianna Fáil.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: That is what happens in my constituency.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: We have had hours of debate on this issue in both Houses. There were long presentations on Second Stage. As I stated, I fully respect the point of view of every Member who feels that the allowance should be portable, that it should not be determined in the immediate aftermath of the election and apportioned out to support the parliamentary activities as determined by the electorate at a...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I believe we will be dealing with that separately.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Members are not dealing with the Electoral Acts at all in this amendment.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: No, this is about the parliamentary activities allowance.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: No, it is to do with the leader's allowance.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Yes. While I hope I can remember all the points, an important point was made by Deputy Creighton. The whole idea of this is that at the time, there was huge controversy regarding the nexus between business, developers and politics. Chunks of money were going into political parties that were not accountable. That was all changed and it was agreed that different funding mechanisms would be...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Please. Everyone and everything else must go back to the first base because regardless of whether it was 1938 or 1998, a new dawning means there is a new insight and that one is a lesser mortal if one does not see it through the same prism.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I wish to respond with an open debate and we can spend as long as we like at it. I suggest to Deputy Mathews and colleagues that the net issue in this simple legislation is to reduce the funding to the party leaders, as was the parliamentary activities allowance, by a factor of 10%. It is analogous to the reductions the Government has made across other areas of public expenditure.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I know. There is only one way to think, Deputy Mathews's way or no way.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Please. Can the Deputy not even allow me to speak?
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Deputy Donnelly can have his own view separately.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I will speak to the three broad-ranging contributions, two of which concerned the Electoral Acts that are not before the select committee at all and I will respond as I can. Following strong contributions that were made during the Second Stage debate, I am familiar with the views of members of the select committee. However, I also am entitled to a view and to have it heard, even if it is...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Members are discussing tax compliance on this particular amendment but-----
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: -----we can have a general debate about the spending of the money.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: I am happy to answer that question as far as I can. Yes, I am satisfied that the moneys allocated to the parliamentary activities allowance to be, that is, the party leader's allowance up to now, can only be expended for the specific purposes designated in the Act and they are set out in the Act. As to whether other funds that are generated elsewhere can be used for the same type of...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Revenue does not-----
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (27 Feb 2014)
Brendan Howlin: Let me tease this out. A fund cannot apply for tax clearance certificate, so it is the parliamentary party or the individual members. The Deputy needs to be specific in who is applying. My own party obviously publishes annual audited accounts. I think ours is the only party to do that and we are happy to do that. Each Member of the Oireachtas is obliged, within 90 days of election, to...