Results 141-160 of 717 for speaker:Garret Ahearn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Low Pay Commission Recommendations on the National Minimum Wage: Discussion (18 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: When the commission decided that, was it taken into account that businesses have had a very difficult three or four years with Covid, the cost of living and the war in Ukraine? They have faced major challenges.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Low Pay Commission Recommendations on the National Minimum Wage: Discussion (18 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: That is not taking into account that we need to increase the minimum wage, obviously, and we have done that. Do the witnesses get the sense that there is a real fear on the part of businesses? I come from Tipperary. Particularly in small rural towns, there is a real fear about survival. A minimum wage increase in Cahir, where I am from, is very different to a minimum wage increase in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the new strict Cathaoirleach here today.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: The Cathaoirleach will notice that I will be very obedient.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the announcement yesterday in the budget for businesses and the funding the Minister, Deputy Coveney, has secured for the €250 million grant to be given to businesses in the first quarter of 2024. This grant will be half of the rates bill that they paid in 2022, up to €20,000. Of the €20,000 they had been paying in rates, they will be able to claim half of...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister for being here. She said at the outset that she had full confidence in the board but she gave a strong statement a couple of minutes ago about things the board did that were totally unsatisfactory, especially in terms of its relations with politicians on this committee. What does the board have to do for the Minister to lose confidence in it?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: The ordinary person watching this committee's meetings over the past number of months would ask how the Minister could possibly have confidence in those people. It is a question that we get asked all of the time. We are asked how we can have confidence in the board when its members have been so poor in their answering and so poor in their management over the last few months. The Minister...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Does extending that extend the timing for completing the review? Has the cost increased as well?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Will the cost increase?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Has the Minister got that figure yet?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Is that in total or in addition?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: The Minister said she would not like to see compulsory redundancies. Is that a possibility, however?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Would the Government fund voluntary redundancy, if RTÉ came forward with a strategic plan that would allow it to cut costs but could not afford doing so itself?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Is that something that would be considered?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Most people would look at it in the sense that we are asking RTÉ to cut costs. Approximately 51% of the cost of running the organisation is staff. How can we do that without affecting staff?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: As part of the future of RTÉ, is the Minister confident it will support the independent production companies that provide good, independent content for RTÉ? That is obviously a concern. These companies employ people in Ireland. There will be a knock-on effect if RTÉ has less money in terms of things that are being produced and paid for by RTÉ. Is it still key for the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: There is also the support of unscripted production. Is that something the Minister will look to support in future?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I mean as regards the tax breaks given to unscripted productions under section 481.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Is it something the Minister will consider, since we are making big changes within RTÉ? Is that something she thinks we should be looking at?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Has the Minister spoken to Revenue in relation to the licence fee and proposed changes being made to that, including talk of a possible household media charge? Has anyone from the Department had communication with Revenue on how that would work?