Results 681-700 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: I answered that question.

Order of Business (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: The draft documents are being finalised, as Deputies are aware. I think they are going to ECOFIN next week. The Minister for Finance intends to circulate the up-to-date draft documents that have been referred to when he makes his contribution in the House at approximately 3.45 p.m. this afternoon. They will be available before they are finalised on 6 and 7 December next. I think those are...

Order of Business (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: Obviously, I cannot announce the budget in advance. It will be announced next Tuesday. The legislative arrangements that will have to be put in place to give effect to the budget will take place consequent to the announcement. I presume the Deputy will accept that I cannot indicate what is in the budget at this point. On the question of the availability of documentation in draft form, the...

Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: The European Union has consistently stated in all of its statements that the policy approach we have been taking must be accelerated and deepened, not abandoned as has been suggested by Deputy Kenny. This involves difficulties for us as a country but we must deal with the situation as it is. The Governor of the Central Bank outlined the proposed strategy agreed on how to deal with the...

Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: I was referring to the loan book. There is no divergence.

Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: There is no source of confusion whatsoever. I was simply making the point that the wind-down of the loan book takes a number of years. The Governor of the Central Bank has indicated the need to wind down its deposits and this has been agreed in respect of deepening the restructuring and reorganisation that must take place. Finding a safe location for the deposits within the State can be...

Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: First, the agreement that was concluded last weekend is primarily about making sure there is sufficient funding for the State. A total of €50 billion of the drawdown will be for the funding of the State in the coming years as we reduce our deficit and get our public finances back into order. A total of €25 billion of the €35 billion drawdown facility is available on a contingency...

Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: Deputy Gilmore is aware that that is not the basis at all, but it was a nice populist throwaway. The issue is as follows. It is not a question of saving money to the State in terms of the wage rates. The whole idea of wage rates is to try to make sure that we get the maximum level of employment we can and the maximum flexibility in the labour market in labour intensive sectors such as the...

Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: That has been an obvious case. They have probably been lobbying the Labour Party on the issue as well. An independent review will take place on employment regulation orders, EROs, registered employment agreements, REAs, and joint labour committees, JLCs, as well, which is at a level above the minimum wage. All of those issues are about adjustments in costs, including labour costs, in order...

Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2010)

Brian Cowen: The OECD and others have been referring to this issue as a structural issue within the Irish economy generally. The Government took the view that this would assist removing some barriers to employment in labour intensive sectors. Deputy Gilmore is aware of the experience people have in a whole range of areas where people who are less skilled and who are anxious to take up employment are...

Freedom of Information (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. Ten freedom of information requests were received in the Department of the Taoiseach in October 2010. Some 91 requests were received during the first ten months of the year, of which 70 were granted or part-granted and four were refused. No records were held in nine cases, while three requests were withdrawn. Five requests are ongoing....

Freedom of Information (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: The Freedom of Information Act provides for citizens to obtain relevant data and information regarding their own particular position, as set out under the legislation. That is fine for people who require their own personal data and information. As the Deputy knows, data protection legislation means that not everyone's personal records or data should or could be available to a wider...

Freedom of Information (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: When the Freedom of Information Acts were introduced they applied to about 67 public bodies and they now extend to more than 500 public bodies, an eight-fold increase in the number of organisations to whom the legislation applies. This indicates to me that there has been an extension over time to include many areas of activity which were not initially contemplated to be included. I am sure...

Freedom of Information (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: The detailed application of the Act is a matter for the Minister for Finance but, based on the information I have before me, I will put some facts on the record that may be germane to the questions being asked. The system of fees was introduced in 2003 when Mr. McCreevy was Minister for Finance. A fee of €15 could be regarded as modest, particularly when compared to the average estimated...

Freedom of Information (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: As I said earlier regarding making financial information available, banking laws and legal parameters are set out. We are operating in a commercially competitive environment. No one would suggest, given the investment taxpayers are making in intervening to maintain a viable banking system, that we should put the banks at a commercial disadvantage. Freedom of information legislation does not...

Order of Business (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: This agreement is in compliance with our Constitution. Draw-down facilities are available on an ongoing basis. These specific facilities are being provided at rates which are far less than the normal source of that funding, which is the international money markets. From the point of view of the country's stability, it is important that we avail of these funds. To those who criticised it, I...

Order of Business (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: The scope of the application of the agreement is limited explicitly to the purpose of prevention, investigation, protection and prosecution of terrorism or terrorist financing. I cannot understand why anyone would be opposed to that.

Order of Business (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: My response has set out that this matter is totally within the exercise of executive power and external relations pursuant to Article 29.4 of the constitution rather than Article 29.5 and Article 29.6, to which Deputy Gilmore referred earlier. Now that Deputy Ó Caoláin has come round to recognising the legitimacy of the State, I would have thought he would also recognise the legitimacy of...

Order of Business (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: On the question of the bank reorganisation that is envisaged as a result of the discussions that took place, banking legislation will come to the House the week after the budget. We will need co-operation on it because it is important that it is brought forward. On the more general question regarding the building industry and the role NAMA has played, there is a further proposal that land...

Order of Business (30 Nov 2010)

Brian Cowen: I am not aware that is the case. As I said, I am not au fait with the precise comments to which the Deputy referred, but these are matters that could be addressed to the Minister himself.