Results 16,321-16,340 of 26,902 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Industry Regulation (23 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 87. To ask the Minister for Finance his views that the motor insurance companies are operating a regime of age discrimination with increased premiums for the young and the old and whether such discrimination is illegal under the Equal Status Act 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17806/16]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (23 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 200. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the timeline for reversing the public service pension reductions introduced during the crisis in line with the Fine Gael election manifesto; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17807/16]

The Arts: Motion [Private Members] (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Yes.

The Arts: Motion [Private Members] (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I move amendment No 1:1. (a) To insert the following after “accepts that”:“— artistic endeavour and creativity define what it is to be human;”(b) To insert the following after “advancement of the Irish people”:“and humanity in general”(c) To delete the words:“— ensuring a stable, sustainable and secure funding model...

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That sounds good to me.

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is it Professor Barrett's view that in advising the committee the Government hopes to set up, the demographic pressures and the impact of inflation on the fiscal space and so on have to be spelt out clearly as a matter of course in the discussions around the budget?

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: But it should be spelt out.

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I agree completely with that. I welcome the entire process and it is good that it is being opened up. We have to figure out how best to establish that process to achieve the maximum transparency and the most comprehensive debate in the run-in to producing a budget. Professor Barrett made a point about not having ideological baggage and so on. One of the issues Nyberg pointed out in his...

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I was going to ask the same question.

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I appreciate that but I want to plumb into this matter a little further. The professor has said that the institute deals with data and has certain models, which implies that there is not much in terms of subjective analysis. Is that what he is saying? Is there debate?

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I did not assume that. I want to understand the process of producing analyses and reports. Is the full spectrum of economic thought fed into the analyses? Is everything just a compromise between different people?

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am nearly out of time so will ask a few bullet point questions. I am glad, and I like to think it is due to the presence of the new left joining the Irish Parliament, that the institute is working on wealth taxes. How close are we to having an analysis of the possible impact of different models of wealth tax?

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is in the sense that there are certain things like-----

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: -----poverty analysis and all that kind of stuff, which were not in previous budgets. A big lacuna in the-----

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: How close is the ESRI to completing the research?

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Economic and Social Research Institute (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I ask Professor Barrett to bank my question as I have another question. I am afraid that the models do not take enough account of human experience, which kind of follows Deputy Burton's comment. Should the models include surveys of target groups? The people affected should be asked how something will impact on them, rather than just use statistics and figures. I often think statistics and...

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I welcome representatives of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council back again. Meeting them is one of my favourite engagements of the year. I very much welcome the council's proposals for its involvement in the new budgetary process and agree with everything it has suggested. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council is leaving open the possibility of having two additional engagements. It proposes a...

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It also proposes to engage with the committee at the time of the national economic dialogue to give its take, as it were, on questions of fiscal space and compatibility with fiscal rules.

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I do not have many questions because I agree with the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council's proposals, which would be very helpful. The council suggests the model for the parliamentary budget office, PBO, should be somewhere between the current proposal and a model in which it plays an extensive role. Will Professor McHale elaborate a little on that suggestion?

Committee on Arrangements for Budgetary Scrutiny: Engagement with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (22 Jun 2016)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council proposing that it have a role in assessing these costings? Would it provide analysis, particularly of alternative budget proposals, in its engagement with us in September?