Results 741-760 of 1,179,397 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Mary Lou McDonald OR speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:John Brady OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Eoin Ó Broin OR speaker:Frank Feighan OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Brendan Howlin OR speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú OR speaker:Pauline Tully OR speaker:Claire Kerrane OR speaker:Michael Moynihan OR speaker:Francis Noel Duffy OR speaker:Leo Varadkar OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Colm Burke OR speaker:Rose Conway-Walsh OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:Mattie McGrath OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Matt Shanahan OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:Mary Butler OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Ossian Smyth OR speaker:Paul McAuliffe OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:Mairead Farrell OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Thomas Byrne OR speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl OR speaker:Pearse Doherty OR speaker:Denise Mitchell OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Alan Farrell OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire OR speaker:Malcolm Noonan OR speaker:Patricia Ryan)

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

Rose Conway-Walsh: It is also necessary, though, to look at inflation. We never signed up to the restrictive Fine Gael 5% spending rule. I believe we have been proven right in relation to inflation. Of the three examples that IFAC gave us in its submission, namely, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden, the first two specifically take inflation into account and look at the increases in spending in real terms....

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

Rose Conway-Walsh: It is less today than it was in 2019 in terms of spending. It is a kind of contradiction in one sense. The concern is that all this highlights some of the risks associated with legislating for the spending rules.

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

Rose Conway-Walsh: No, exactly. What we are trying to get at here, however, is to be fiscally responsible but still have enough flexibility to be able to adapt to and respond to external changes that occur. It is about the balance rather than about tying ourselves into something if we were to legislate for the rule.

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

Rose Conway-Walsh: I thank Dr. Casey for that. The EU fiscal rules state that the medium-term fiscal plans will commit member states to an agreed net expenditure path for a five-year period. The plan will subsequently be endorsed by the Council of the European Union. It is stated that once endorsed by the European Council, it is generally not possible to deviate from the agreed net expenditure path unless...

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

Rose Conway-Walsh: It is trying to stop it.

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

Rose Conway-Walsh: Yes. I think this is crucially important because we are adding an additional national restriction to an economic decision of a democratically-elected government. I think this is extremely serious. IFAC's submission refers to it having an enforcement role in regard to the EU fiscal rules. Will the witnesses expand on this statement? I refer to what IFAC having an additional enforcement...

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

Rose Conway-Walsh: What about the decision of the democratically elected Government? I really have concerns about this.

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

Rose Conway-Walsh: Five years is a long time in politics.

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)

Patricia Ryan: I thank our guests. I apologise about the voting; it just makes everything very awkward. Anyway, we will move on swiftly. Would our guests recommend that the Government disregard or disapply the net spending rule when allocating funding for the likes of State old age pensions, especially considering that the recent increase of €12 granted in budget 2025 has caused a real decrease...

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

Patricia Ryan: What are Mr. Coffey's thoughts on benchmarking?

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

Patricia Ryan: That is fine. I asked Mr. Coffey for that reason. I thank him. To minimise the risk caused by the current overreliance on the tax take from just three corporations, would the council recommend the Government remove vulture funds’ charity status, making their rental and other income subject to tax? The funds have a considerable presence in the housing, rental and mortgage markets....

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

Patricia Ryan: Is there anything extra we could be doing to alleviate some of the problems caused for people by vulture funds?

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

Patricia Ryan: That is fair enough. That is all I wanted to ask. I thank all the guests very much. I appreciate the chance I have been given.

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.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Health and Well-being for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Oct 2024)

Michael Moynihan: Apologies have been received from Senators Clonan and Seery Kearney. The purpose of today's meeting is to discuss health and well-being for people with disabilities. On behalf of the committee I welcome representatives from the Department of Health: Mr. Greg Dempsey, deputy secretary general; Ms Anne O'Brien, assistant principal; Ms Siobhán Hargis, principal officer; Dr Anne...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Health and Well-being for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Oct 2024)

Michael Moynihan: I thank Mr. Dempsey. We will now go to our members. The first member offering is Deputy Frankie Feighan, in substitution for Senator Mary Seery Kearney.