Results 18,681-18,700 of 26,053 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report - November 2014: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (4 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: I had asked previously about the risks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report - November 2014: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (4 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank the council members.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report - November 2014: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (4 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank Professor McHale and his colleagues for their presentation. I want to take up a few points. I understood that last year the way in which GDP was calculated changed and contract manufacturing which represents the work Irish companies do abroad was factored in in GDP. The previous year we had the patent cliff, which understated Ireland's growth rate. While I cannot prove it, that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report - November 2014: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (4 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thought there was a change in the way it was incorporated into GDP.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report - November 2014: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (4 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: That would not have been the general impression. People believed there was a change.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report - November 2014: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (4 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: Has the council been able to quantify it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report - November 2014: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (4 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am open to correction, but I understand there was a change in the way it was incorporated into GDP, but Dr. Donovan is saying that is not the case.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report - November 2014: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (4 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: Was it made from 1 May?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report - November 2014: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (4 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: Moving on, the delegates are making a case for tighter arrangements with regard to the budget. All of the indicators in the council's table - GDP, consumption, investment, exports and imports - are showing an upward curve. Employment is going up, while unemployment is coming down. The main indicators are good, but there is another factor in the council's modelling, namely, the social...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Joint Committee
General Scheme of Sale of Loan Books to Unregulated Third Parties Bill 2014: Discussion (3 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: Mr. Hogan stated in his opening statement, "Our intention is to allow access to the Financial Services Ombudsman for borrowers who are unhappy about any actions which affect them". In the case of loans that have already been transferred or will be transferred before the legislation is enacted, will they be covered too?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Joint Committee
General Scheme of Sale of Loan Books to Unregulated Third Parties Bill 2014: Discussion (3 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am talking about a loan with an institution which might be covered but is transferred to an entity that is not covered soon. There could be a gap between the time it is transferred to when this legislation will be enacted. If there is a query concerning the loan in the interim, will it be covered by the legislation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Joint Committee
General Scheme of Sale of Loan Books to Unregulated Third Parties Bill 2014: Discussion (3 Dec 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: What if it was ongoing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: Could this mortgage insurance scheme work if the banks were paying for it, or will it just end up being passed back to the customer?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: That would not apply to everyone. There are many people ---

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: Between 40% to 50% of the population have no pension.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: They may not be able to afford to do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: Every day of the week I am meeting people who cannot repay their mortgages and who are in negative equity. Are there instruments to help these people?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: In the time available, the point I make is the need for a discussion on the model for housing, albeit a German-European model, which is that people will never own their homes. I do not think that is the model the Irish want.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: That is another extreme and I would not agree with that either.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Kieran O'Donnell: The witnesses are missing my point. I believe that during the Celtic tiger era, with Ireland joining the euro system, interest rates came down overnight - effectively making excess credit available - and prices rose. In fact, at one stage, mortgage interest relief was taken away from rental properties and the price of property stabilised. The following year that instrument was reversed and...