Results 15,201-15,220 of 35,738 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Leaders' Questions (20 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Yesterday the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, published the Government's summer economic statement. It clearly points to a budget in October that will have serious consequences for ordinary people. By taking a decision not to invest the €1.4 billion that is available to the Government in the upcoming budget under the fiscal rules, it is deliberately choosing once again not to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: 120. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a special needs assistant will be provided for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27009/18]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (20 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: 121. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive an appointment for an assessment from the National Educational Psychological Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27010/18]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (20 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: 122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a school (details supplied) will avail of the National Educational Psychological Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27011/18]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I want to ask about €36 million in overcharging, which is the latest scandal to hit the bank. It affects 18,000 accounts and 15,500 account holders. Will Mr. Stanley explain how for the past six years the bank was overcharging its business customers in the Twenty-six Counties?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Did any of the 15,500 affected individuals raise any concerns about the fact that the bank neither had contractual nor legal rights to change their rate?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Of the 18,000 accounts where Ulster Bank increased the rate without legal permission to do so and against the contract signed with customers, did any account holders bring this to the bank's attention or query what it did at that time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Did any of the complaints originate because of this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Is it correct to say Ulster Bank is not aware of any of the 18,000 account holders raising a query?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Is the bank aware or is it not aware? Other people want to ask questions. The simple question is whether the bank is aware or not. There are 18,000 accounts where there was overcharging as the bank changed the rate without a contractual right to do so. Is the bank aware of whether any of those 18,000 account holders raised a query or complaint with the bank at that time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Was it from that cohort?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: How were those complaints dealt with?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: The bank had a nice wee press release for the public at 4 p.m. last week saying, by the way, that Ulster Bank identified this by itself. The reality, as described by Mr. Cullen now, is that at least some of the individuals overcharged for the last six years, including business people who tried their best in very difficult economic times to keep their businesses afloat and employ individuals,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Did it emerge like that? Would it not be factual to say it emerged in 2012 when the customers being overcharged brought it to the bank's attention or raised questions with the bank but the bank decided to do as it did with the tracker mortgage scandal? It hunkered down and went on as it liked for six years anyway.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I presume the bank had those contracts. If I was a person being overcharged and asked Mr. Cullen what he was doing by increasing my rate, I would have suggested looking at my contract. I am sure the first thing the bank would do is look at the contract and figure out, as the bank did six years later, that the bank did not have the legal right to do as it did. The bank should have realised...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: In terms of complaints or queries from a cohort of customers who queried the new rate, at what level was it dealt with in the bank? Were these issues escalated to a more senior level? At what level were decisions made?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I am not satisfied for Ulster Bank to give a little presentation stating that it identified this matter when, as has just been admitted, some customers identified and queried it with the bank six years ago.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I know there are different individuals involved. I am talking about the bank, as an entity.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: There are others in the bank who may not be on the management team. First, we have ascertained that this issue was brought to the bank's attention by a number of customers in the first instance. Second, it was not just a case that the bank uncovered this issue without being prompted in 2012, although the bank did not acknowledge or correct it at that point. Why will it take until 2019 for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Business of Joint Committee
Matters Relating to the Banking Sector: Ulster Bank (19 Jun 2018)

Pearse Doherty: The witnesses have told the committee that the bank wrongly took over €7 million - approximately 20% of €36 million - from its customers and that it is unlikely to return the money to these business accounts until 2019 because the issue is a bit complicated.