Results 161-180 of 8,419 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Central Bank can set the schedule. It has the power to set the schedule in respect of a review. It does not necessarily have to wait.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am saying this in the context that some issues have been highlighted over the past year where it seemed there may have been grounds for considering a review. The Central Bank also has the power to require supplementary information if it feels the information provided is incomplete. We have repeatedly heard the words “comprehensible" "consistent" and "complete”. There are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The competent authority has the power to request information. Has the Central Bank requested supplementary information from Israel as the issuer?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Let us move to the prospectus issued last year. In the core prospectus, I found one reference to the war. It related to unemployment figures in terms of those absent as a result of military duty and during the war for other reasons. That is the 2024 prospectus. There was a supplementary report, which is not the prospectus. It is this quality prospectus we are meant to be hearing about....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The core question, because my time is quite limited-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would like to come in for a second round, with the Chair's permission.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It does not mention the Genocide Convention and it does not mention the ICJ advisory opinion of July 2024.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: But the Central Bank could have requested additional information. If that information was not forthcoming, it could have suspended the offer while waiting for it to be provided. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I need to come back in in the second round.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: When will we return?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is okay. Ms McMunn mentions that it is an offence for any person to aid and abet genocide. This comes to the core point. In that context, there is a risk if there is a case being taken in relation to the Genocide Convention and if the moneys the Central Bank has provided as investment may be found to have contributed to a breach of the Genocide Convention, thereby aiding and abetting....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If I could have a very quick fact because my time is limited. Is that differentiation made?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Similarly, it was not deemed necessary or relevant by the Central Bank that the prospectus would include a differentiation between illegally occupied territories and the actual borders of Israel. The reason that is particularly relevant comes back to the money laundering point, the breach of the International Court of Justice and the laws under that, and the repayment of bondholders, that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perhaps there could an assurance that the moneys would not be used in respect of the territories. We know the general financing-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----of Israel is being used in occupied territories.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No, the fundamental question is whether there are risks to investors, including financial and other risks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes, but is it not the case-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: So, Mr. Makhlouf does not regard potential prosecution in respect of money laundering to be a risk to an investor?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Let us talk about it because when Mr. Makhlouf appeared before the committee last autumn, he was not prepared. Money laundering is extremely relevant in this context. The Central Bank was the competent authority.