Results 681-700 of 1,174,565 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Jennifer Whitmore OR speaker:John Brady OR speaker:Simon Coveney OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Catherine Murphy OR speaker:Norma Foley OR speaker:Ossian Smyth OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:James O'Connor OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Réada Cronin OR speaker:Mary Lou McDonald OR speaker:Matt Carthy OR speaker:Ivana Bacik OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl9 OR speaker:Seán Canney OR speaker:Eamon Ryan OR speaker:Pa Daly OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Duncan Smith OR speaker:Simon Harris OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman OR speaker:Micheál Martin OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:Joe Flaherty OR speaker:Colm Burke OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív58 OR speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice OR speaker:Paul McAuliffe OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett OR speaker:Mary Butler OR speaker:Mark Ward) in 'Committee meetings'

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Business of Select Committee (23 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: We have received apologies from Deputies Steven Matthews and Ged Nash. I propose that the committee go into private session to deal with some housekeeping matters. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: This evening's engagement is with representatives of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. On behalf of the committee, I welcome Mr. Seamus Coffey, chairman of the council, and Dr. Eddie Casey, chief economist. It is always great to have them here. We are looking forward to a discussion on the EU's fiscal rules and the State's medium-term fiscal and structural plan, which was published last...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: As a vote has been called in the Dáil, I propose that we suspend until it has concluded.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: 2 o’clock I thank Mr. Coffey for his opening statement. I open the floor, following the normal rota, and call Deputy Conway-Walsh.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: We will move on. I will give Deputies a chance to come back in again later.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Canney: I thank our guests for coming in today. From a lay person's point of view, we are talking about economies, budgets and five-year plans but a five-year plan is not worth the paper it is written on in the context of what happened in Ukraine or of Covid, for example. Basically, such plans are for an ideal world, if everything was right. When we have a spike in inflation, all kinds of...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Canney: If one considers the surplus taxes that we have coming in now and the fact that some of that is being stored away in the so-called rainy day fund, is that the type of action that a good government should be taking so that we have reserves when we need them? An example of an area about which people are very frustrated is that of house building. Private housing is not being built. That...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Canney: What is Mr. Coffey's take on people promising that we are going to build 60,000 houses? How does he see that being done when we cannot even build 30,000 at the moment? That is not a political question. I am asking how the council sees this being done. Will something else have to be sacrificed, for example, retrofitting or something like that? Does Mr. Coffey have any comments on that?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Canney: The way Mr. Coffey describes some of the difficulties in getting foreign workers or getting our own people who have gone abroad to come back is like a chicken-and-egg situation. We have to provide the houses for them to live in to give them the permanency they need. They would want a guarantee that they would get a house here if they came back.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Canney: This is not a loaded question but it relates to the role of IFAC. Do the witnesses find that nobody listens to what they say when they have concerns about fiscal rules or projections and forecasts that are being made? Are they being listened to by governments? Do they feel that their role is effective? People say the Government is composed of the elected representatives of the people and...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Canney: I have one last question. I did my leaving certificate in the mid-1970s and for whatever reason, there were no jobs at the time. When I was in the construction industry there was very little work in the early 1980s, then we had the boom and it was followed by the situation in 2008. Should we be doing specific analysis to generate lessons for the future? I include how we performed during...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Canney: I thank the guests.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: I have one or two questions myself. I understand the kind of enforcement or pushback that would be put into execution by the European Commission in the event of rules being broken is unclear. Is that unique to Ireland, or is it across all EU countries?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: What kind of enforcement does Mr. Coffey envisage?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: Mr. Coffey had mentioned flexibility. It was also referenced with regard to the 2024 budget and the setting aside of the two funds. What is the council's take on the capacity of those to give that kind of flexibility?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ireland's Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (23 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: Does Deputy Canney have any further questions? No. Okay, they were pretty much the questions the members and I had. I thank the witnesses for their input and their patience with the votes and everything. That concludes our session. I thank the witnesses for participating.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: From the Seanad (23 Oct 2024)

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: From the Seanad (23 Oct 2024)

The Dáil went into Committee to consider amendments from the Seanad.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: From the Seanad (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 are related and will be discussed together.

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: From the Seanad (23 Oct 2024)

Seanad amendment No. 1: