Results 1-20 of 332 for speaker:Shay Brennan

Men's Health: Statements (22 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: Four out of five suicides in Ireland are male. This figure is deeply distressing and behind every number is a man, often young, often in the prime of his life, whose loss devastates families, friends, and communities across the country. Every one of these deaths leaves a ripple of grief that stretches far beyond the immediate circle. It not just a statistic; it is a husband, a son, a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: I welcome back the witnesses and thank them for spending time with us again. Since we last met, as the Chair alluded to and as Mr. Makhlouf mentioned, the bonds have on this occasion been certified by the CSSF in Luxembourg. Does Mr. Makhlouf have any indication or any feeling as to whether this will be a one-off move or could this lead to something more permanent?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: The move came as a surprise, albeit a welcome one. I understand that a level of secrecy and discretion is required here, but would Mr. Makhlouf be able to talk us through what happened? I understand the Israelis would have initiated this, but how did they do that? Were there any detailed communications or conversations with either the Israelis or the CSSF?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: I appreciate Mr. Makhlouf cannot go into the specifics. I am more generally asking whether it was a one-line memo, for example, or whether there was detailed communication, without divulging those details, of course.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: In Mr. Makhlouf's view, why did Israel take that initiative?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: I will probably get the same answer, but does Mr. Makhlouf believe there was any awareness among the Israeli financial authorities of the work of the committee and the report published?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: Okay. I thank Mr. Makhlouf.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Ukraine War (21 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: 15. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone call with President Zelenskyy. [46841/25]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Ukraine War (21 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022 and was granted candidate status not long after that. Since then, significant progress has been made, with the screening progress reportedly completed in September 2025. Will the Taoiseach provide an update on the current status of Ukraine's accession talks, progress made on any required reforms - if that information is available - and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: Thank you, Chair. I missed a portion of the meeting due to another commitment. If I ask a question and it has been answered, I ask the witnesses to tell me and I can play the video at a later stage and get the answer that way. On my way out of the office, I think I heard Deputy Doherty ask what the interest rate is on the loans. Will the witnesses confirm that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: To take a step back then, what is the structure of these loans? What is the instrument? Are the bonds issued by the sovereign nations or the EU? Is it third-party bank lending, for example?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: That is advantageous to the borrowing nation. Is there any danger that nations could redirect their military spending and use this fund to replace borrowing they are doing elsewhere?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: Essentially, yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: An example might help to get it across. If you spend €100 million on your military and you borrow within your economy anyway for other reasons, given you are doing it anyway, could you now put the €100 million you are spending on the military under the SAFE instrument and borrow that €100 million from the EU at a lower rate to reduce borrowing elsewhere that you were...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: Is that likely to happen? I am not directing all the questions at Mr. McGann. It is a general question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: What is the seniority of these loans? I am thinking of a Brexit-type scenario, whereby a nation actually leaving the EU has obligations to the EU. Where in that pecking order does this particular instrument sit?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: Sovereigns default all the time. I will go further on what the Chair asked. The tone is quite optimistic that no one is going to default. Have any scenarios been run, like actuarial scenarios? If a bank is to lend you money, it is going to do its due diligence. It is going to work out the probability of default. Has anything similar to that been done?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: I appreciate that before a default takes place, work will be undertaken to restructure and assist that nation. Even without this instrument, an EU nation defaulting is problematic for the Union so support would be there. There is one thing I want to understand. If a nation comes in tomorrow to draw down €5 billion, it is a case of the EU having to go to the market to raise that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: I should have this figure but Ms Ralph might have it. What is the current level of EU debt?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (15 Oct 2025)

Shay Brennan: I thank Ms Ralph. I will obtain that figure. Related to that, what level of default can the EU absorb before a capital call is made on sovereign nations?