Results 17,701-17,720 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The former Minister's Government left us with €2 billion in cuts on the table. That was its legacy. We are doing our best to determine a fair Estimates process, have a comprehensive review of every line of expenditure and examine where waste can be eliminated and where we can amalgamate and change things. All of this will be laid out over a period of time between now and December....

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Some of us do not have tomorrow off, the Minister for Finance and I will be discussing the finances of the country with the Troika tomorrow.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: No one else is thanking God the Troika is here.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: We want our sovereign independence back. Fianna Fáil may welcome the loss of our economic sovereignty, the rest of the country does not.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Let me deal with Deputy McDonald's point.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Yes, the consequences of all our decisions for every citizen are carefully in balance. We must make choices that are difficult, choices we would rather we did not have to make. We will not pretend, however, that there is some magic solution. We are committed to getting our deficit down to 8.6% of GDP next year and there will be difficult choices required to get there. Just as Sinn Féin...

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: -----and 52 schools that were planned are being abandoned-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: ----that is a reality of being dependent on external funders. Just as Sinn Féin in the North is dependent on external funders-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: -----and is content to live within the parameters if it means closing schools and firing library staff, with 30 library staff axed, that is the reality of reducing a budget. We must face that reality in this jurisdiction as well. I assure the Deputy we will do it in a fair and balanced way.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy McDonald is fully aware of the scale of the problems we face. This Government inherited an economic mess and we are determined to put it right. The step we must take by next year is to reduce our deficit to 8.6%, not because we want to but because we cannot fund anything more than that. The funders of last resort are here and were brought here by the previous Government. We are...

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: We will make adjustments across all areas of expenditure and do so in a fair way. We will lay out our decisions for full debate and see where Sinn Féin can find not funny money but real alternatives. If it can provide real alternatives, we will investigate them.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: Deputy Ó Cuív has had his chance. The truth is that finding that sort of money is not easy. Deputy McDonald's Sinn Féin colleagues in Northern Ireland know that finding €4 billion will result in decisions that the party finds unpalatable. The leader of the SDLP has described the decisions made so far by Sinn Féin as punishing low-paid workers, teachers, students, schoolchildren, the...

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: -----as introducing a 1970s Tory budget-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: This sovereign Parliament is determined to regain our economic sovereignty.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: This is a sovereign Parliament-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: The normal procedure is we do not shout down speakers in this sovereign Parliament.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I will answer the question directly. This Government is determined to restore the economic sovereignty ceded by the previous Administration and will take the steps necessary to do that.

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I share the Deputy's regard for the amenity of Dublin Bay. It is one of the great amenities of the capital city and should be available to citizens into the future. I understand that Dublin City Council is engaging with all the local residents regarding the concerns they have raised, particularly about the height of the proposed flood defences. A balance must be struck. Areas that are...

Leaders' Questions (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: I am glad to hear of the plans to commemorate the Battle of Clontarf. We need to have as many tourism initiatives as we can. This was central to the discussions on tourism promotion at the recent economic forum. Balance is the essence of the issue the Deputy raised. If this issue had arisen last February or March, when there was extensive flooding in Dublin city, we might have had a...

Order of Business (13 Oct 2011)

Brendan Howlin: It is proposed to take No.19, statements on releasing the value of State assets to help stimulate economic growth; and No. 19a, statements on Common Agricultural Policy reform proposals. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the proceedings in relation to No. 19 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 1.30 p.m. today and the following...