Results 281-300 of 1,049,929 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Johnny Mythen OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Seán Canney OR speaker:Pearse Doherty OR speaker:Heather Humphreys) in 'Committee meetings'

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Canney: I agree that we need checks and balances but I believe we have gone from correcting what was wrong to overcorrection. Now we end up at a stage where we have probably a worse situation and we are using a lot of resources in it which should be better employed and still have checks and balances. If one takes housing, for example, one should devolve the authority to the local authority to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I welcome both Ministers. I am sure the Ministers are aware of the Central Bank's commentary on housing which confirms the growing gap between the Government's targets and what is needed to fix the housing crisis. The report estimates that between 52,000 and 67,000 new homes are needed to meet existing and emerging need over the next decade or more. This is broadly in line with the Housing...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister, Deputy Chambers, talked about the proceeds of the sale of AIB. Are proceeds due in next year and if so, what are they? Is this a separate allocation that the Minister is planning to spend in the budget, on top of the capital ceilings that have been announced by the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, so far?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: When is the €3 billion due into the accounts?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: There is €3 billion there that we already got this year.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That is already part of our surplus and the Minister is planning to spend all of that next year. Is that correct?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Does he expect the €3 billion to be used next year, in 2025?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: In relation to the tax package in last year's budget, half of the population of workers benefitted by €870 while the other half of workers got just above €300. The Minister was out this week saying that average workers will benefit by €1,000 but he knows that the young nurse earning €37,000 did not get the €800 benefit last year. Half of workers will not...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister knows that over half of workers do not pay tax at the higher rate which means that the average worker does not benefit from the change that the Government is planning. The Minister told the media that average workers will benefit to the tune of €1,000. Can he tell this committee, to which he is accountable, albeit that the media has an important job to do as well,...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: With respect, the Minister set it out to the media a couple of days ago. Why can he not give the same commitment to the budgetary oversight committee, to which he is accountable? Is it because those who earn €40,000 will not benefit to the tune of €1,000, in the same way that they did not benefit last year and the Minister does not want to puncture the spin of the Government...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That is not the question I asked. I did not ask whether it was progressive or not. I asked if the Minister can give a commitment to average workers on €40,000. Will they get €1,000? He was happy to spin that at his party's think-in but he is unable, under questioning, to say the same thing here because he did not do it last year and is unlikely to do it this year. Is that...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister is unwilling to give the commitment that he gave to the media because he did not do it last year and is unlikely to do it this year. Let me ask the Minister another question-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: No they did not. The average worker on €40,000 did not. That is a mistruth that the Minister is presenting to this committee and he knows it. The Minister put out a press release saying that he is going to increase the standard fund threshold to €2.8 million. We are talking here about gold-plated pensions. At this point, someone can retire on €72,000 or...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: How much will it cost?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister put out a press release saying that he is increasing the standard fund threshold to €2.8 million. I want to know how much that policy costs.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Does the Minister know how much the policy costs?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: How much does that cost?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The number of people who actually had a pension pot above €2 million in the last year for which data is available from Revenue is just over 230. These are gold-plated pensions that are costing hundreds of millions of euro. Ordinary taxpayers, people who are working in Tesco at the minute, are paying taxes to subsidise these pensions. The Minister not only wants to see these...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: The last time Fianna Fáil was in government, yes.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Pre-Budget Engagement (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: No, the taxpayer should not be subsidising pensions that are in excess of €80,000. That is what the Minister is planning to do.