Results 18,521-18,540 of 32,864 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I will answer the Deputy's three different questions. A form of additional funding will be needed for the Department of Health at some point this year. That has been the case in previous years and I will have to work on that later in the year. On whether that can be done in such a way so as to not impact on the budgetary parameters for next year, that is what I am aiming to do. I have...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I do not doubt they are doing good work but it is a higher level of recruitment than was anticipated and planned for. That is one of the key drivers of the current level of HSE spending.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am sorry. Regardless of the Deputy's point of view-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: -----what I stated is a fact. Up to April this year, an additional 350 to 400 people have been working in our health service every month. I did not blame anybody for that. I certainly did not blame the people doing the work. I just made that point.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The first of the Deputy's four or five different questions was whether I am planning significant tax reductions in the next budget. The answer to that question is that I am not. I have stated, including in the Dáil this morning, that any changes I make to tax levels will be gradual and affordable. I believe the era-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy has asked me five questions and I will answer all five.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I believe that taking the approach of very large tax reductions in any particular budget is not the right way to go. The Taoiseach shares that view. I do not have a figure on tax expenditures available to me now, but I will get it for the Deputy during the committee meeting. Could I reallocate that tax expenditure to additional expenditure or additional investment? My answer to that...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I have four points in response to what the Deputy said. First, I am interested in his use of the word "ideology".

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: When he talks about me having an ideology, it appears to be a bad thing. When he talks about his own ideology, it appears to be a set of beliefs. I also have beliefs regarding what we should do in regard to political choice and policies.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I have already mentioned the very close working relationship I have with the Department of the Taoiseach in regard to choices. In response to the Deputy's third question and his somewhat odd attempt to attribute some kind of Herbert Hoover mentality to me, I point out that this year I have increased capital expenditure by €800 million. A further €1.5 billion is planned for...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: What would that be?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I have already read it. Has Deputy Broughan read the one that came after it, Theory of Value: An Axiomatic Analysis of Economic Equilibrium? It is very good.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: On the Deputy's broad point, what is now apparent to all of us is that the purchase of certain kinds of vehicles and tax policy for these vehicles were based on deceit. Expectations of the performance of vehicles were created which turned out not to be the case. This is a serious problem for the environment and for governments across Europe in terms of how we will respond to it, not to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Commission has indicated that ideas such as rainy day funds are part of what it sees as the future budgetary resilience framework for economies, especially in the eurozone. I am confident that anything that will build up the economy will be assessed as being inside the fiscal rules.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Commission has not yet given an explicit guarantee. I would not be this far down the road unless I was confident that this will not create any foreseen risks in regard to the fiscal rules.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I have had engagement with the CIF and other representative bodies on this matter, but I have always met them with other organisations like the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Much of the engagement we had in the past couple of years involved these organisations calling for increases in capital expenditure to be placed in a planning framework. I believe the CIF now accepts we have planned...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, there are two ways to do that. Either we tax new areas or, if it is justified by where the economy stands and we need the revenue to do something in our country, we increase taxation on areas where there are currently very low levels of taxation. In last year's Finance Bill, we introduced a sugar tax, which commenced at the end of April, and we increased stamp...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As to whether I believe that spending more on health is consistent with not getting better outcomes, the fact is that the State will need to spend more on the health service in 2019 because of the impact of demographics and the decisions that I anticipate the Government will make on the funding of Sláintecare. We will also have to spend more to deal with issues like new drugs. The...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As to how we can safeguard our economy in the context of a change that still has to happen, there are two crucial elements on which the Government is doing its best. First, Brexit will happen next year; as matters stand, the UK will leave the EU. Things could then happen that have not been forecasted. It will be the first time an event like this has occurred. It is possible that the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement: Discussion (11 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Broadly, as I said earlier, economic growth is a vital prerequisite to what we need to do in our communities and society, and I am careful not to see economic growth or profit maximisation as an end in itself. We must grow our economy to create resources to do good things in our society and to create jobs. That is my approach to the role of economic growth. With regard to climate change...