Results 14,681-14,700 of 35,681 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Services Programme Funding (27 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: 204. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if additional supports, including funding, will be made available to community organisations which provide community services through the community services programme administered by Pobal; if his attention has been drawn to the financial difficulties being experienced by such organisations owing to minimum and living wage...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: The summer economic statement sets out the amount of discretionary spending that is available to the Minister in budget 2019. That was estimated at €800 million given that the Minister was not going to use €900 million and was going to put €500 million into the rainy day fund. Less than two weeks out from budget day, does he expect that figure to increase or decrease or...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I want to discuss the health overrun. I am quite surprised the Minister did not mention this in his opening statement in light of the level of overrun at the moment and what is speculated. I want to focus on how we deal with this for 2019. We will use this for argument's sake but if there is a health overrun of €600 million or €500 million - it could be less or more - what...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: That is my understanding as well. When we are looking at a majority, we are looking at it in the range of it being close to 90% or thereabouts. Would that also be the Minister's understanding?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: If we are to believe what has been put out there in the media, namely, that the over spend projected for the end of the year is likely to be just in excess of €600 million with the vast majority of that recurring, this means that the health budget would need to increase by that amount plus the amount to deal with demographics and inflation just to stand still. Is that what the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Again, I want to tease it out using indicative figures. If we are looking at an overrun of €600 million and are saying that over 80% of it is recurring, this is about €500 million that would have to go into the base. How would that be dealt with? If only €800 million in discretionary spending is available in budget 2019, is there an automatic conclusion that this...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Obviously, if there is no tax revenue then that has not already been identified, it has to come out of the €100 million discretionary funding.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Discretionary revenue increases, I presume. Where is tax revenue at this point in time projected to come in at the end of the year? We know some of that buoyancy is coming from corporation tax. Does the Minister genuinely believe - it would be astonishing if he did - that we should be funding underspending in health by a buoyancy in corporation tax receipts where, everybody in this...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I will put two small questions together.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister can tell me afterwards. We know that the health overrun is mostly due to recruitment. It is suggested time and again that this was predictable and demand-led. The HSE was here before the health and budgetary committees and presented all of this to us. How come the Department has got the health budget so wrong? This health overrun is again not a minor amount of money. The...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: The Secretary General wrote within weeks-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Just a small point. The Secretary General wrote within weeks saying that there was going to be an overrun.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: That was not the question.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: As the Deputy said, a large group of people have travelled from different areas, including those who have been affected by Lyme disease, and their families and friends. The problem is multi-facetted. A comprehensive strategy is required to address the issues and the challenges posed by the disease. Such a strategy should involve education, awareness and greater research, but diagnosis and...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: The Deputy should get the rate right first.

Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (25 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Hear, hear.

Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (25 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Before I came into the Chamber, I watched a little programme that is available online. The Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, should watch it. It is about a number of families who have been in homelessness. I was struck by the story of three young children - Emily, Alannah and Glenn - who are about the same ages as my own children. They spoke about their desire to have a house. The...

Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (25 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: It has given tax cuts to the elite and the highest earners in society. That is what has happened. We have given the Government policy after policy. We have proposed that investment in social and affordable housing be doubled. We ask the Government to implement the Focus Ireland amendment. Why would anyone in Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael not support an amendment that would stop landlords...

Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (25 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister is embarrassing herself now.

Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (25 Sep 2018)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister should have a bit of humility.