Results 1,841-1,860 of 35,540 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Does the Minister believe that the letter of expectation will address the issues I raised, particularly the strategy of ISIF, which is currently investing in companies that are involved in the illegally occupied territories? As we know, millions of euro in taxpayers' money is being invested there. Notwithstanding the divestment of about a quarter of the portfolio, does the Minister believe...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: On a point of information, the Minister says we are not dealing with the ESG risks, but the legislation does deal with one of them, namely, fossil fuels, which is welcome, but the precedent is set here to deal with ESG risks. It is not about leaving it up to the NTMA.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The legislation does deal with an ESG risk. It precludes the NTMA from investing in fossil fuel companies where the fund would have anything above 15% of a portfolio involved in fossil fuels. The legislation has set a precedent to allow us to stipulate ESG risks. Therefore, as to what Deputy Boyd Barrett and I have said about the occupied territories, the support for the occupation of Gaza...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: On section 8, this is probably where the real meat is with regard to the legislation because we are being asked to pass legislation here which stipulates a percentage of our economy, where it has been drummed before into everybody in the finance committee that GDP is not the measure of our economy but GNI* is and we all use that reference now. When we are dealing with this legislation,...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Okay.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I am dealing with this section. I would ask that I might be allowed to finish my sentence, if that is okay. The €4 billion will increase but the point is that the Minister has three options. The Minister can put in the €4 billion, put in €2 billion, which is half of that, or put in zero. There will be scenarios where one does not have the surplus that allows the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Is this the voting block?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I cannot see us being back here before 9 p.m. because there are five votes.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: There are two votes but they are doubles as there are amendments, so there are four votes. There is also the vote that has been called now. I do not think the committee will get this Bill finished.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The point I am making is that if we suspend for 20 minutes-----

Gambling Regulation Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I have to speak on other legislation before a committee. I appreciate being given time to speak. These are very important amendments which go to the core of how local charities and philanthropic bodies would be impacted by this legislation. We are on Report and Final Stages. I said we should recommit the Bill because the question before the House will be whether we pass this Bill with the...

Gambling Regulation Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That would be appreciated because the 9.30 p.m. cut-off provided in the section would impact on radio bingos that a lot of charities use to raise money. We made the point strongly last week that charities need to be exempt. The problem with legislation is that we have to deal with what is in front of us. I accept that the Minister of State spoke in good faith and it is clear from his...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I welcome all the witnesses. I am glad the committee agreed to my proposal to have these hearings because this is a very important issue, as many of the witnesses have outlined. At home, in my county, people will be looking in at this meeting and they are looking for very simple and basic answers. There are a lot of technical issues here as regards assessments, and we understand that we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: He heads up Engineers Ireland. He has that position. Where there is a recommendation for an outer leaf replacement, which means that the outer walls are replaced because there are deleterious materials, and a recommendation that the inner leaf and the foundations are sound, despite growing evidence that this is not the case, can Mr. Owens tell the committee he is 100% sure that those...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate Mr. Owens's answer but I am not asking about the standard. As regards the houses we go into, the householders are not worried about the standard, IS 465s or other standards the Government has. They want to know whether the house is structurally sound. We have before us the head of Engineers Ireland, and I ask him that question on their behalf. When the Government tells them,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Can Mr. Owens, as an engineer, guarantee families at home that if they replace just the outer leaf, the house will be structurally sound? That is the gamble they are being asked to take.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: What is Mr. Owens's belief, given what the science tells him and given what all the international research now tells us as to how the deleterious material affects the blocks and over what time span? What does he believe as an engineer?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: A conservative approach would be option one, which is demolition and rebuild. At the minute, demolition is demolition down to the foundations, and the foundations are left in. As a senior engineer in this country, if it were his house, and if he were approved for option one, demolition, would he leave the foundations in, wearing his engineer's hat? Would he build on the foundations?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: As an engineer, Mr. Owens believes, as regards the quarry that created the blocks and also poured the concrete into the foundations, and despite the fact that the house has to be demolished and rebuilt completely, that there may be a chance that the foundations are okay. Is that his view?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The composition is, but the aggregate material that goes into both is the same. Mr. Owens knows this better than I do. The strength of the concrete will be different in terms of the mix, but is the aggregate material and the deleterious material not present in both?