Results 41-60 of 10,538 for speaker:Barry Cowen

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Regional Development (8 Feb 2024)

Barry Cowen: 49. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5449/24]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Credits (1 Feb 2024)

Barry Cowen: 159. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of eligible claims currently being made for the rent tax credit made in counties Offaly, Laois, Westmeath, Longford, Meath and Louth and Kildare, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4255/24]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Fiscal Policy (1 Feb 2024)

Barry Cowen: 157. To ask the Minister for Finance the action he proposes to take to ensure that consumers retain access to cash; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4256/24]

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Business of Select Committee (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: Apologies have been received from Deputies Patricia Ryan and Ged Nash. I propose that we go into private session to deal with some housekeeping matters. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: I welcome our guests from the ESRI, namely, Dr. Alan Barrett, Dr. Sheelah Connolly, Dr. John Curtis, Dr. Kelly de Bruin, Dr. Niall Farrell and Dr. Kieran McQuinn. Before we begin, I will explain the limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practice of the Houses as regards references witnesses may make to other persons in their evidence. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: Thank you. I am sure there are questions and that clarifications will be sought in regard to the many issues Dr. Barrett has raised. I call Deputy Durkan.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: Does anyone wish to respond to those comments? No questions were asked.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: Dr. Curtis wishes to comment.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: There is one other comment.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: In the context of the issues that have just been raised in regard to transport, can the witnesses compare this development plan with the previous one to identify what transport projects may have been advanced or may have been lost? The suggestion is that they may have been lost because of a political decision to have a 2:1 split within the transport spend between roads and public transport.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: Would you be interested in exploring that?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: I would have thought that when a new plan is taken on, the resources, expense and professionalism that went into advancing a project under the previous plan would be respected, but there are indications that this is not the case. It might be more political than anything else.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: Dr. Barrett may continue for a few minutes.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: I thought it would be interesting to look at the provisions that are there now, compared with what was there previously, by virtue of the increased emphasis on public travel. I will not ask Dr. Barrett to go through each individual project, but to give a general overview of the sort of percentage of projects that have been lost as a result of that change in policy.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: That is fine. I do not think there is a vote.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: We will go on. Given that Deputy Moynihan is not available, I call Deputy Conway-Walsh.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: Has Dr. McQuinn any comment on the planning system and its failure to deal with the needs of the economy and the logjams it has created for residential and infrastructure? The development plan will not realise its ambition by virtue of the delays associated with planning. Will the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill address all, a lot, not enough or few of those logjams? In a time of...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: Is it about reducing the need to restricting the potential?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: Some developments, whether residential, commercial or infrastructural, can achieve permission by virtue of the development plan that is in vogue at the time of the application. By the time it goes through system, which caters for judicial review and up to a five-year delay in this country, a new plan may well have been adjudicated on. The application may have no relevance to the new plan...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Report on National Development Plan: Economic and Social Research Institute (31 Jan 2024)

Barry Cowen: They affect the whole of society.