Results 17,381-17,400 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: That is immutable. The best analysis we have suggests we need to make adjustments of €3.8 billion to do that. The Government has decided that this amount should be made up as follows: €1.6 billion in additional taxes; and €2.2 billion in cuts, €1.45 billion of which will be in current and €0.75 billion will be in capital expenditure. It is a fair point if Fianna Fáil believes we...

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: There is no four-year plan. We are talking now about 2012 and €750 million-----

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: -----is the reduction in 2012. Let us be honest with people. People are not fools. God knows they are carrying enough burden without being coded too. Senator O'Brien made some constructive points. I would like to respond to the two specific questions he asked. The issue of the greater Dublin drainage scheme has been raised on a number of occasions by colleagues of the Senator...

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I have launched it.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Senator Gilroy asked about the regeneration projects and I am very firmly committed to the regeneration projects. As regards flexibility, we will ensure that all the capital allocated is spent and will be moved within the budget areas if there is an incapacity or a difficulty. For example, I have indicated the very significant funding allocated to the national children's hospital. This...

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The Department's website will show how far advanced we are. I have also provided a facility for users to make suggestions on how it could be improved. I want to have as many services as possible on-line. To date there are more than 300 Government services accessible on-line as part of the e-government strategy. If any citizen wishes to suggest other services which are not yet on-line, we...

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Níl rud ar bith sa ráiteas maidir leis an chinneadh sin.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: We are debating the public capital programme, not the reform programme.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Beidh mé ar ais lá éigin eile chun an plean sin a phlé.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Tá a fhios agam go mbeidh.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The public capital programme.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: It is a different document.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: We are not debating it today.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: We are not debating that document.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: On a point of order, the Senator is asking me a series of questions about a document which we are not debating here. I am happy to come back to the House to debate public service reform. The Senator has obviously prepared for a different issue. We are talking about the public capital programme.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The Senator cannot question me on a debate that is not in front of us.

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I am happy to be back in the Seanad again so soon. Last week, I presented the Government's capital spending programme for the next five years to Dáil Éireann, having announced it the previous Thursday. It was part of a series of important announcements leading up to budget day, which commenced with my colleague, the Minister for Finance, publishing the medium-term fiscal statement on 4...

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: However, we aim to restore our public finances. The objective of this Government is to restore the broken finances we inherited a few short months ago-----

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: -----so that we can afford to undertake such projects in the not too distant future. It is our firm resolve that we will put our economy in such a place that we will be able once again to make our own investment decisions and be free of the oversight of the troika which, unfortunately, is now brought in to overview-----

Seanad: Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Nov 2011)

Brendan Howlin: It is extraordinary that people who were part of an Administration which brought our economy to its knees a few short months ago, and I believe this is the anniversary of the-----