Results 1-20 of 81 for speaker:Conor Murphy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. The news in relation to debt has been good. Debt appears to have been very well-managed in recent years. I want to follow on from the questions put by Senator O'Reilly. It is evident that there is no moral compass element. The witnesses said that the investment remit for the taxpayers’ money of this State is within set parameters. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: In that context, why did the NTMA choose to invest in Israeli war bonds?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: The NTMA could end up investing in something that it has not taken an active decision to invest in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: The NTMA is a State body investing on behalf of the people of the State and the taxpayers of the State. It could end up investing in things that are morally reprehensible, illegal and counter to the foreign policy of the State itself. They would certainly be counter to the wishes of the Oireachtas and the wishes expressed broadly by the Irish people, and the NTMA has no ability to make a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: Yet the NTMA took a decision to disinvest. That was a proactive decision.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: By that logic, if the threats regarding Iran receded, the NTMA could be back in the business of investing in Israeli war bonds again.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: Mr. Ashmore said it was not an active choice to invest in Israeli war bonds. However, under the formula whereby the NTMA originally invested, before it divested because of a change of circumstances, if that threat recedes, we could be back there in the foreseeable future, with the taxpayers’ money of the Irish State being invested in Israeli war bonds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: Yes, but what the witnesses have been telling this committee is that the choices made were simply on the risk to finances and have nothing to do with what is going on in the country. If the risk to finances in terms of the political developments between Israel and Iran receded, and that was resolved or hostilities ended in some way, the NTMA would be back in the space where the possibility...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: What does it take to have the parameters of the State changed so that what the NTMA does with the citizens’ money reflects the broad view of the Oireachtas and the people of the country?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: It would take some political intervention, whether that is through legislation or through a Government direction. I presume the NTMA got some Government direction to the effect that Russia was out of bounds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: Even though the European Union, of which Ireland is a member state, had decided-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: What would it take for the NTMA to have similar consideration in respect of Israel, which has been in breach of international law for decades and which is currently committing genocide against people in Palestine?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: Does the chief executive officer wish to comment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the NTMA on Matters Relating to its Operation (22 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: It is very clear from the evidence to the committee that the decision to divest from Israeli war bonds was to do with an ongoing political development in relation to Iran, and there has not been a decision by this State that investment in Israeli war bonds is a bad thing per se.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: I thank Dr. McDonnell for the presentation. Apologies for missing a substantial chunk in the middle of the questions and answers. I will ask a couple of questions and apologies if they have already been asked and answered. Referring back to the last paragraph of the contribution where it talks about the future, there has been much discussion about what immediate action to take in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: It reminds me of the four pillars I brought into the Department for the Economy in the North, of which productivity was one.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: Speaking to that, such issues as supply chains and the carbon footprint of supply chains mean that closer to home is much better for creating a sustainable economy. However, there are opportunities for North-South and perhaps even a greater diversity in the economy on the northern side of the border, even though it struggles, albeit more in terms of public finances than its economic...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the Taoiseach (9 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: I thank the Taoiseach for his opening statement. I just have a couple of questions. Obviously, I have to try to drag them out for ten minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the Taoiseach (9 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: We had a briefing this morning at the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA, from the Department of foreign affairs. It strayed across a range of matters of British and Irish interest. We were told the discussion on legacy the Government is undertaking with the British Government is coming towards what is hoped will be a conclusion. Is it a bottom line for the Taoiseach, his Government...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the Taoiseach (9 Jul 2025)

Conor Murphy: I agree that the previous British Government's proposals were so unacceptable they set it back quite long way, particularly in terms of confidence of victims that things will be dealt with. Is the Taoiseach concerned that, in the middle of this, the Prime Minister in Britain seems to have taken a fairly arbitrary decision not to recompense people who were wrongly detained? There are...