Results 16,141-16,160 of 35,756 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Order of Business (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: We will be discussing this, with respect. We are going to vote on debating a Bill on Second Stage. The Taoiseach has already told us that there will be a special Cabinet meeting on the same day to consider the same Bill. It does not make much sense to vote to debate something that we know is not going to exist on Thursday. Can the Taoiseach give us some further information? Is it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Commissioner go dtí an coiste. The Commissioner made a number of comments to Deputy Paul Murphy about the direction of military spend and defence. He said that if Europe did not increase that type of spending, it would be in a dangerous position. What percentage of the budget is currently spent on that and, in his view, what increase is required to avoid...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: What is the current proportion of the MFF spend on the latter category? The Commissioner argued passionately that this must increase, and his forthright honesty on this issue has been acknowledged. I am trying to get an understanding of where the Commission or the Commissioner is coming from on this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Is the Commissioner familiar with the percentage of the budget under the current MFF that is currently allocated to the defence and defence research area?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: The Commissioner believes that is insufficient to meet the demands of 25 member states and points to the dangerous position he believes Europe would be in if it was left at that. What is the percentage he believes would be necessary to avoid the dangerous position he articulated to the committee?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Are we expecting to see a reduction in programmes? The CAP presents a major issue for Ireland. One of main beneficiaries of the EU budget is the CAP. The Commissioner has mentioned that we are likely to see a 5% to 10% reduction in that type of programme, yet, on the other hand, there will be an increase in military or defence spending in Europe.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I understand that. However, the Commissioner has made speeches in the last month in which he has indicated that the MFF could see a cut of between 5% and 10% for the CAP and the Cohesion Fund. Is that not a statement of fact?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Yes, that is the point. I appreciate that it has to be decided and agreed to, but the preparatory work sees a cut of between 5% and 10% for the CAP. How do we square that with an increase in military spending at the same time? Why is the military budget not being cut?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: We appreciate that there are NATO member states, but this is a neutral state, or at least it should be. It will be hard to swallow for Irish citizens. This is where the European Union sometimes loses touch with its citizens. On the one hand, preparations are being made to cut core programmes that support smaller farmers, in particular, on average and sometimes very low incomes, while, on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate the Commissioner's role and understand there are bigger demands being made by other European countries. It is also the responsibility of the Commission to communicate with individuals who will see support payments reduced as a result of decisions or proposals tabled, at the end of the day, by it. It must take ownership of these proposals. Saying the Netherlands wants to cut...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I represent farmers and people-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: That is okay. I say to the Commissioner that he has the opportunity to communicate through this committee to farmers who will potentially see their programme payments cut. I am giving him that opportunity, but he is obviously not going to take it in the way I thought he would. There is a second point. The proposal from the Commission is to increase the figure from 1% to 1.1% or 1.2% of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Has the Commission settled on a figure of 1.1% or is it still considering a figure of 1.2%?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I will finish on how the impacts of Brexit could be offset by new programmes. Does the Commissioner have ideas in that regard? I can provide a Sinn Féin document that contains a number of proposals that we believe would be helpful. Among them is that North-South co-operation would be treated as a qualifying combination for inter-regional programmes. Is that something Mr. Oettinger...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: Regardless of whether there is a hard or soft Brexit, the PEACE programme beyond 2020 is a requirement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: EU Finances Post-2020: European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: I thank the witness.

Leaders' Questions (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: It was €15 million.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Financial Services Regulation (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: 49. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of credit servicing firms that have completed the authorisation process in view of the passing of the Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) Act 2015; the number that were refused; the number still pending authorisation but operating under the transitionary measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10463/18]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Fitness and Probity Regime (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: 53. To ask the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 86 of 21 February 2018, if the one disqualification listed for 2018 was an active employee in a company or if the disqualification related to historic behaviour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10518/18]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Brexit Issues (6 Mar 2018)

Pearse Doherty: 60. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the financial commitments that are in place from Britain regarding the PEACE and INTERREG programmes post Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10511/18]