Results 17,081-17,100 of 27,275 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett
- International Protection Bill 2015 [Seanad]: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: The right to work, as the Minister of State is well aware, is a fundamental demand made by asylum seekers and those who support and advocate for them. It has been for a long time. The indignity of not being allowed to work and simultaneously being accused of somehow sponging off the system, becoming a target for all sorts of racist abuse by a certain element of society, is utterly...
- International Protection Bill 2015 [Seanad]: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: This amendment is essential if we are to protect the rights of children. The Government is committed to Children First. The idea that children would be wrongly assessed as adults is completely unacceptable and, therefore, any self-declaration by children that they are children should be accepted unless there is evidence to the contrary. The word of the children should be accepted unless...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: No charge was made.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I am neutral in this. I am just saying I did not hear any charges being made. Questions were being asked.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Can the delegation tell me the following? With all the residential portfolios that NAMA has sold, either built residential units or land for residential development, what is the total amount it has got back in the residential area? What was the original value of those residential units?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Between 5,000 and 6,000 units.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: But Mr. McDonagh cannot tell me what NAMA got back for them and what the original value was.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Yes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I will outline why I have asked for that information. First, one can look at the fact that property prices are now back almost to 2007-2008 levels or heading in that direction.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: They are climbing pretty fast in Dublin. I accept that that is the case in other parts of the country, and rents in some cases are back to what they were.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I question the rationale behind selling off all this residential property when its value is appreciating at its current rate. I wonder whether we got the best value for money. I wonder whether the vulture funds that have bought residential property from NAMA will be the beneficiaries. I wonder whether the sale will end up being a very bad deal for the public who paid for all of this stuff.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Is the following not obvious when one looks at how things are panning out? I acknowledge the point made by Mr. McDonagh at the beginning of his statement that previously it was not commercially viable to build and it is only just about becoming commercially viable to build now. I accept that this is a mandate that was set for NAMA, so in some ways it is not really NAMA's responsibility but...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Has Mr. McDonagh not admitted that NAMA has had to wait for the market to tell it that it is okay to build, even though there has been an objective need for the past number of years to provide housing?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I accept that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Can I ask Mr. McDonagh one question?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: NAMA had 15,000 residential units and it has sold 5,000. Does that mean it still has 10,000 units?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Can Mr. McDonagh add to that figure?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I wish to gather some facts before Mr. McDonagh finishes his response. What about the development potential of residential land? What would that bring the figure up to?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Is that the total?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Those are useful facts. Mr. McDonagh said at the beginning of his statement that because of the collapse in prices, neither NAMA nor anybody else would consider building up until now. Was that his point? The market dictated it.