Results 41-60 of 33,758 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Perfect.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: As I said to the Minister, section 8 is the meat and bones of the legislation, so we should take a bit of time on it and hopefully then make progress on the rest of the legislation. I support the establishment of the funds but I am opposed to the idea that we set down in legislation that a percentage of GDP would go into the fund at a set point in time and that the Minister would have the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: We see an Exchequer deficit is projected from 2026 onwards. If that were to continue, there would be increased borrowing, but that is not the be-all and end-all. With all these SPU numbers concerning borrowing and so on, we know the risks could increase with pillar 1 and pillar 2 or there may be some improvement if pillar 1 does not go through. However, that is all based on the current...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That has been legislated for. The Minister queried my point on having a modest surplus, an example of which I gave as €1 billion, and why would the Government not put money into the fund. Is it the Minister's assessment that if there was a general Government balance of €1 billion the Government would still have to put €6.5 billion into the fund or, indeed, almost half...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: In the rest of this legislation, in the main, many of these sections are just a repeat of the sections we have had before. I wish to record that my observations in respect of many of these sections are similar to those in respect of earlier sections. However, I do not want to repeat them because they are cut and paste. Is that okay? I just wanted to put that on record.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: May I make a point? It may not be tied to this section, but we are trying to get through this. All the reports being made available, including the report from IFAC and the report from the NTMA, will be published. Is that correct? Will every report be published? In terms of the timing, the IFAC report happens on a date in September, from memory. It is just before the budget cycle. Will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (2 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: 12. To ask the Minister for Health when he will meet with the Donegal branch of an organisation (details supplied) to address its concerns regarding broken promises to improve diabetes services in Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19824/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff (2 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: 44. To ask the Minister for Health if funding will be made available to provide for a dedicated consultant neurologist at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19818/24]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (2 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: 112. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will ensure that a passport will be processed for a person in County Donegal (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20098/24]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (2 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: 130. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide a breakdown of the non-core expenditure allocation of €4.5 billion, which includes provision for Covid-related spending primarily in health, costs relating to accommodating and supporting beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine and expenditure related to EU funds, disaggregated by programme type. [20095/24]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (2 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: 131. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide a breakdown of the core expenditure increases provided in Table 12 of the Stability Programme Update for the years 2025 to 2027, disaggregated by existing levels of service, capital allocations under the National Development Plan, and any other items. [20099/24]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (2 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: 227. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when an organic farming scheme payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20003/24]

Gambling Regulation Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I have to speak on other legislation before a committee. I appreciate being given time to speak. These are very important amendments which go to the core of how local charities and philanthropic bodies would be impacted by this legislation. We are on Report and Final Stages. I said we should recommit the Bill because the question before the House will be whether we pass this Bill with the...

Gambling Regulation Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: That would be appreciated because the 9.30 p.m. cut-off provided in the section would impact on radio bingos that a lot of charities use to raise money. We made the point strongly last week that charities need to be exempt. The problem with legislation is that we have to deal with what is in front of us. I accept that the Minister of State spoke in good faith and it is clear from his...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I welcome all the witnesses. I am glad the committee agreed to my proposal to have these hearings because this is a very important issue, as many of the witnesses have outlined. At home, in my county, people will be looking in at this meeting and they are looking for very simple and basic answers. There are a lot of technical issues here as regards assessments, and we understand that we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: He heads up Engineers Ireland. He has that position. Where there is a recommendation for an outer leaf replacement, which means that the outer walls are replaced because there are deleterious materials, and a recommendation that the inner leaf and the foundations are sound, despite growing evidence that this is not the case, can Mr. Owens tell the committee he is 100% sure that those...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate Mr. Owens's answer but I am not asking about the standard. As regards the houses we go into, the householders are not worried about the standard, IS 465s or other standards the Government has. They want to know whether the house is structurally sound. We have before us the head of Engineers Ireland, and I ask him that question on their behalf. When the Government tells them,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Can Mr. Owens, as an engineer, guarantee families at home that if they replace just the outer leaf, the house will be structurally sound? That is the gamble they are being asked to take.