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Politics Is Corrupt, Public Administration Is Corrupt, and Democracy Is Dead
Politics Is Corrupt, Public Administration Is Corrupt, and Democracy Is Dead
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The vast majority of those who stayed there did so for
short respite periods during the summer months, usually
one week or two weeks at a time. As many as 47 children
and young adults went through the home, which was the
scene of the most savage rape, physical abuse, and
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Worse was to come. She and her carers were told her
allegations couldnt be prosecuted, because she would not
make a good witness, due to her inability to speak.
A second report into 46 other cases in the foster home
was completed in 2015 and that too has not been
published. This was on foot of Garda requests, as
investigations into the allegations of abuse continue.
At least two other cases of sexual and physical abuse have
emerged and are under investigation.
Ahead of Saturday
demonstration, European
Water Movement hails Irish
battle for our Right2Water
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implemented.
The European Water Movement, a network of
organisations whose goal is to reinforce the recognition of
water as a commons and access to water as a
fundamental universal right, made a submission to the
Expert Commission on Water which is available here.
In a statement issued today, the European Water
Movement said: It is clear that the best method of
securing access to water, and securing funds for
infrastructural investment, is through general taxation.
The European Water Movement views the struggle of the
Irish people to abolish water charges, and to secure a
referendum enshrining public ownership of Irelands water
system, as yet more evidence of a real European peoples
movement to democratise water management. Irelands
Right2Water campaign, like other campaigns throughout
Europe, is seeking to achieve the human right to water
that no country in the EU has yet implemented.
Right2Water is to the forefront of this growing movement,
the statement concluded.
For further information contact :
David Gibney - Right2Water, Tel. 087-1324140
David Sanchez - European Water Movement, Tel. +32 (0)
2893 1045
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/hrw_glossary_eng.pdf
Rich
The leaked data includes more than 300
offshore companies linked with Irish
addresses, hundreds of Irish shareholders
and beneficial owners, and numerous cases
of Irish passports used in Mosacks due
diligence process.
The ICIJ said early next month it will release names of the more
than 214,000 offshore entities, as well as beneficiaries,
shareholders and directors connected to them. An exact date has
not been disclosed. The actual documents in the files will not be
published.Colm Keena, Irish Times, 13/04/2016
Sunday Business Post April 10, 2016 Jack Horgan-Jones and Ian
Guider
The state has come under intense pressure to water down new rules
that would reveal the true owners of shell companies.
Such companies were shown by last weeks Panama Papers leak to
have facilitated widespread tax shelters.
Lobby groups have been pressing the Department of Finance not to
allow public access to a register of the owners of the so-called
beneficial trusts.
Allegations
Michael Lowry, whose complex tax affairs have become public
knowledge by default, is a case in point. The Tipperary deputy is
currently facing trial over allegations, which he denies, that he filed
incorrect tax returns in 2003 and 2007.
During his long career he has featured in two tribunals of inquiry, an
authorised officers inquiry into his refrigeration company, Garuda, a
substantial Revenue inquiry that ended in 2007 only to be reprised
two years ago, an ongoing inquiry by the Criminal Assets Bureau
and numerous court hearings. All have involved public funds being
spent on trying to find out what Lowry has been up to while holding
public office.
From a tax perspective, the highlights include his availing of the
1993 tax amnesty without disclosing his offshore accounts. He also
made a 1.4 million settlement with the Revenue.
Despite this and to no great surprise Lowry was elected on the
first count in the recent election. He stood as an Independent as
he has done in the past five elections but was quick to pledge his
support for Fine Gael and Kenny.
His support for Kenny now seems to be taken as a given by Fine
Gael in all of the possible scenarios that might see Kenny elected
taoiseach this week or next. His name is first on commentators lists
of Independents that would vote for Kenny and see him elected if
Fianna Fil abstain from the vote.
This is despite Kenny emphatically ruling out seeking the support of
Lowry when it came to forming a government in the run-up to the
election. He told Morning Ireland on Friday, February 5th, that I will
not have any dealings with Michael Lowry or any other
Independent.
Kennys ruling out of Lowrys support came after he had been
wrongfooted by Martin, who in a clever move ruled out relying on
Lowry a few weeks earlier in the campaign.
Martin, of course, now finds himself relying on Lowry by proxy
because his preferred outcome a minority Fine Gael government
requires Lowrys support.
So we have arrived at a situation where a politician whose tax
record is something less than pristine to put it mildly will be an
instrument in the formation of the next government.
Not only that, he is likely to be able to deliver for his people, as he
likes to call them, over the duration of the government.
The read-across from this is that any Irish politician looking over his
shoulder at developments in the UK should not worry.
Local dynamic
However, it is not that simple. Lowry is probably a one-off. A
phenomenon built around a charisma that most of the urban elite
cannot fathom, combined with a local dynamic that is equally
baffling to outsiders.
Pragmatic self-interest must be one of the reasons perhaps the
main reason why the people of Tipperary voted for him despite his
chequered financial past. That is the essence of democracy. As
things stand they have been vindicated in their choice.
The intriguing question is whether we would elect more politicians
like Lowry if we were privy to the same sort of information about
their financial affairs. Maybe we dont want to go there.
We might not like what find.
2016 irishtimes.com
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has estimated that the socalled fiscal space, the amount of money available for tax cuts and
spending increases, available for the 2017 budget will be
significantly less than the 1.5 billion package for next year
announced in October.
Initial estimates are that as little as 500 million could be available
for 2017, although Ministers and Coalition sources have said this is
a conservative figure.
Rate of USC
The main rate of USC drops from 7 per cent to 5.5 per cent from
January, following changes announced in Budget 2016, and Fine
Gaels commitment will be to reduce it further in the next budget,
although the exact level of reduction has not been finalised.
The rate applies on earnings between 18,600 and 70,000.
The Revenue Commissioners estimate a 1 per cent decrease in the
5.5 per cent USC rate will cost the State 253 million in the first
year and 348 million in a full year.
Fine Gael sources have indicated its manifesto will also contain
measures to broaden the tax base, raising the prospect of
increasing other taxes to pay for the USC reductions.
Echoing the Conservative Party campaign in this years British
general election, Fine Gael will emphasise its long- term economic
plan, with a cut to the main rate of USC as an immediate offering
to voters.
The recovery
While the USC cut in next years budget is being cast by one source
as a short-term step to keep the recovery going, there will also be
longer-term plans to rebuild services and end the boom-and-bust
cycles that wrecked the Irish economy twice in the last generation.
The manifesto will outline steps to be taken over the next decade to
sustain steady growth and sensible management of the public
finances on jobs, public services and incomes, not just over the life
of the next government.
Mr Kenny will also this week announce the establishment of a team
to finalise the plan, as Fine Gael sets out a distinct election position.
Mr Noonan will lead these efforts, along with Minister for Jobs,
Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, and Simon Harris,
Minister of State at the Department of Finance, who will focus on
issues affecting younger people, such as housing, personal tax and
emigration.
Initial Department of Finance estimates outlined by Mr Noonan to
the Dil had suggested that as little as 500 million will be available
for tax cuts and spending increases in the next budget.
The figures show how pressures on spending from an ageing
population and pay rises agreed under the Lansdowne Road deal will
reduce the room for manoeuvre of the next government.
2015 irishtimes.com
13,982
2016
465,30
0
465,300
Investment income
100,00
0
100,000
BIK other
Gross income
565,30
0
565,300
Tax payable
33,800 @
20%
6,760
34,800 @
20%
6,960
531,500 @
40%
212,60
0
530,500 @
38.5%
204,243
219,36
0
211,203
(3,300)
(3,300)
(0)
(0)
216,06
0
207,503
PRSI
23,800
23,800
46,044
40,619
Water charges
Total deductions
285,90
4
271,922
279,39
6
293,378
23,283
2,448
5,373
5,803
EUR 13,982
Monthly Gain
EUR 1165
This is the first time the tax authorities have released figures
relating to how many Irish tax exiles are in the super-rich league.
Revenue said that last year its high wealth section dealt with 450
individuals who have net assets worth more than 50m and nonresidents with substantial economic interests in Ireland.
It said the number of non-resident individuals that are considered
by Revenue to be high-wealth individuals is currently 54.
Membership of the 54 club is confidential. But some of Irelands
biggest business figures are known to have moved their bases to
generous foreign tax shelters. This means they only have to pay tax
on Irish earnings and not on their worldwide income.
Denis OBrien, the telecoms entrepreneur and significant
stakeholder in Independent News & Media (INM), is tax resident in
Malta. Dermot Desmond, the founder of NCB stockbrokers and
another shareholder in INM, is tax resident in Gibraltar.
Michael Smurfit, the paper packaging tycoon, has moved to Monaco
while the racehorse magnates JP McManus and John Magnier are
both tax resident in Switzerland. The supergroup U2 moved part of
their business from Ireland to Holland after the Government capped
the tax exemption scheme for artists.
In contrast, Michael OLeary, the Ryanair chief executive whose
wealth is estimated at 438m by rich lists, famously said he is
happy to pay his taxes here.
While the official number of tax exiles is 10,781, some are people
who moved abroad, rent their homes and pay tax here on the rental
income. Others are foreigners working for multinationals here, or
who have investments here.
Collectively they generated 49m in tax last year although its not
clear how much the super-rich club of 54 contributed.
The issue of tax exiles has riled the taxpaying public, according to
recent research by the Labour Party which showed that tax exiles
were one of the main issues exercising voters. The Government
plans to examine the issue of tax exiles in the Budget, with Labour
pressing to tighten up the residency rules.
To qualify as non-resident, they must spend less than 183 days a
year in Ireland, or 280 days over two years.
Remember the Ansbacher Account Holders!!
The growing number of poor people in crisis-hit countries and
among young people threatens the existence of the EU, warned the
prestigious German think-tank which carried out the study.
Despite Ireland being one of the richest countries in the EU,
the study reveals we are nearly last when it comes to distribution of
wealth, ranking 18th in the bottom-third of the EU(28) countries
along with Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, and Latvia.
Irish Times Sept 16
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/ireland-urged-to-domore-for-its-vulnerable-population-1.1929914
CSO 2014
The most recent INSTITUTIONAL SECTOR
ACCOUNTS issued by the Central Statistics
Office(CSO) show that the Net Financial assets
of Households in 2014 were considerably( c 41
billion Euro) above PEAK BOOM LEVELS in
2006. There is no levy, charge or tax on the vast
bulk of these large assets nor has there been as
the assets grew over the last 5 years. These
assets include shares, bank deposits, Insurance
policies etc but do not include homes, letting
properties, farms or other fixed assets.Mortgage
debt, Credit card debt, and loans held by
individuals are negative financial assets. They
are subtracted from gross finacial assets to get
the net figure. Consequently the gains of the
very rich, those who have net positive assets,
have been enormous.
There is no wealth tax on these financial assets.
However there is a wealth tax on homes and
dwelling houses (Local Property Tax)
irrespective of the income of the owner however
low.
Interest and dividends are income and are liable
to income tax.
population!
http://olearylp.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/17th-December2015.pdf
A little while ago, I presented a programme on RT called Irelands
Great Wealth Divide. The aim of the documentary was to highlight
the significant and persistent divide in wealth that exists in Ireland.
The reason it is an important issue to highlight is that even when
the economy recovers, the benefits will not be evenly or even
remotely evenly spread and this wealth divide has significant,
long-term ramifications for the health of the society.
At the time of screening, there were some people who, like climate
change deniers, continued to express the opinion that the wealth
divide in Ireland was not a big deal and that it might be overstated.
This is not the case, and in the past few weeks, two other major
studies one by TASC and one by the OECD have added to the
canon of work proving that the divide in wealth in this country is a
serious issue and that in the past few years, the divide between the
income of those at the very top and those at the bottom has also
increased.
This divide is important, because if people get left behind they may
give up hope. Having wealth or having even a meagre stake in
society changes the way people view themselves and the way they
view the future.
For example, consider this one experiment involving a group of poor
American families. Some of the parents were given a small savings
fund, which was to be set aside for their childrens university fees
when the kids grew up.
The kids were then assessed for cognitive reasoning every two
years and, by the fourth year, the children whose parents had the
small education fund were performing better in all tests
what they thought was the gap between the top 20pc
and next 20pc and so on, down to the people at the
bottom. We asked what you thought the gap was,
then what you thought it ought to be and then we
revealed what it actually was.
The gap between what you thought it was, what you
thought it ought to be and what it is in reality is a
huge one.
The consensus from a Red C poll of 1,000 people
commissioned for the documentary was that Irelands
richest 20pc had 60pc of the countrys wealth and that
the poorest 20pc have 11pc.
The reality? The most affluent 20pc in Ireland actually
own 73pc of the countrys wealth and the poorest
20pc own just 0.2pc. As for the top 5pc, their
combined wealth is nearly double that of the entire
squeezed middle.
Now look at the people at the bottom in Ireland in the
two charts. While there are slight variations, the
overall message is very clear. The charts are broken
down into the top 10pc and down to the bottom 10pc.
Dont just look at the very bottom, who have nothing, but look at
the bottom 50pc they own almost nothing of the country.
These are the facts. This is not opinion. This is Ireland.
As we head into an election year, its worth considering just how
many people are being left behind, how many are being shut out.
Consider how many people wake up with no hope, no stake, no way
of seeing how they play a role in our society, no way of seeing a
road map to a better future.
Thats what the wealth gap is all about. It is undeniable and it is
persistent. Shouldnt this be the main electoral issue next year in
the year that we celebrate the centenary of a Republic that was
supposed to cherish all the children equally?
But will it be?
Top 10,000 had greater income than IFA General Secretary
over 7 years.
1,658,243
2011
CSO
public will not believe and one that should be put to the country
sooner rather than later.
Update April 17
HUGE RISE IN ASSETS OF SUPER-RICH
CONFIRMED BY CSO
As usual this aspect of the CSO release was ignored by media
Increase in Financial Assets from the 2008 (Bust) to 2013
was 93 billion or an increase 51% of Gross Domestic
Product(GDP) . There has been further annual increases
since then.
These Assets have more than doubled. There is no wealth tax on
these massive gains.
In 2013 Net Financial Assets of Households were 26 Billion Euro
above 2006 boom level. The super-rich are now richer than they
were at the height of the boom
Between 2011 and 2013 NET FINANCIAL ASSETS OF HOUSEHOLDS
INCREASED BY OVER 40 Billion EURO
Only 17 billion of this was due to paying down debt giving a rise of
23 billion due to appreciation of financial assets in the two
years concerned.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014 at constant (2012)
prices is 181.33 Billion Euro-Central Statistics Office(CSO)
As financial assets of many households are negative due to
mortgage, credit card and loan debt, it is a reasonable assumption
that the net financial assets of the wealthiest 5% are comparable to
the net financial assets of all households at 165 Billion Euro
Central Statistics Office(CSO) April 15,2015
Institutional
Sector Accounts Table 5B
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/pisanff/institutionalsectoraccountsnonfinancialandfinancial2013/financialaccounts/table5bfinancialbalances
heetend-years2009-2013consolidatedliabilities/#.VTDYutzF-QE
Financial assets include shares, bank deposits and insurance policies
on the positive side. Liabilities, which are deducted to get net
financial assets include mortgage debt, credit card debt and bank
loans to households (eg car loans)
Financial assets do not include any fixed assets such as homes,
buy-to-lets, farms, land, business premises or factories and
workshops.
As there has been major appreciation of property values as well as
financial assets , the increase in the overall net wealth of the superrich since 2008 is far greater than indicated by the financial figures
below
Financial Assets Households(millions) TA=total assets
TL=total liabilities
NA=Net Assets
TA
TL
NA
2006
310,899
172,052
138,848
2007
310,711
199,036
111,675
2008
281,650
209,774
71,876
2009
306,338
207,272
99,066
2010
316,375
194,250
122,125
2011
315,028
190,056
124,972
2012
333,654
179,554
154,100
2013
342,735
177,805
164,930
2014
348,092
168,716
179,376
The official statistics on incomes and assets set out below show the
obscene wealth of the super-rich Irish at this time. In
summary, the top 10,000 income recipients have average declared
incomes of 595,000 euro per year each. The financial assets
(shares, bank deposits) of Irish households had already climbed
back above 2006 boom levels in 2012
From 2010 to 2012 the wealth of the top 300 Irish rich has
increased by 12 Billion Euro from 50 Billion to 62 Billion or a
gain of 200 million euro each ( Nick Webb,Business Editor,
Sunday Independent, March 11 2012)
The overwhelming majority of the super-rich are active in the
private sector of the economy.
BUT ALL RECENT GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS FOR INCOME
TAX RELIEF WOULD GIVE GREATEST BENEFIT TO THE SUPERRICH AND NOTHING TO THE POOREST!!
Read also UPDATE:Poorest Pay Most Tax on this
Blog http://wp.me/pKzXa-mX
Average Per Capita Wealth
Gross Domestic Product (total of all goods and services produced)
per head of population in Republic of Ireland is the 7th highest in
EU-Higher than Germany, France and the UK (Nevin
Economic Research Institute Report 2012)
WEALTH OF IRISH SUPER-RICH
Financial Assets of Households
(Table 3 Institutional Sector
Accounts Central Statistics Office 2012)
Total financial assets
Total Liabilities
NET Financial
Assets
2006
310,899
172,052
138,848
2007
310,711
199,036
111,675
2008
281,650
209,774
71,876
2009
304,885
206,620
98,264
2010
311,372
194,219
117,153
2011
310,093
189,982
120,111
2012
324,381
184,467
139,914
These figures show that net personal financial assets of all
households have increased by 68 billion or by almost 100%
(almost doubled since the low point of 2008 and both total
financial assets and net financial assets are now above the peak
2006 level. (Table 3 Institutional Sector Accounts, CSO 2012)
Financial assets are mainly shares and bank deposits, the bulk of
which are held by the rich. Houses, farms and business premises
are not financial assets and are not,therefore, included. The
liabilities are bank loans,overdrafts, credit card debt, and household
Mortgage Debt, the bulk of which are held by those on low and
middle incomes
Thus the total financial asset figure is the better measure of the
assets of the rich as many households have negative net
financial assets.
Average Per Capita Wealth
GDP per capita is the 7th highest in EU-Higher than Germany
France and the UK (Nevin Economic Research Institute
Report 2012)
(This wealth is distributed most unfairly. According to
Central Statistics Office (CSO) this unfairness has been
worsened by the state budget for 2014- PH)
Incomes of Irish Super-Rich
The table below is compiled from a table issued by Minister for
Finance, Michael Noonan in reply to a parliamentary question on Oct
3, 2012 . It is based on projections by the Revenue Commissioners
of expected earnings and expected revenue in the current
year(2012) given the distribution of incomes in 2009 and
subsequent developments. NB Below Revenue=tax+PRSI+USC.
Effective tax rate includes income tax, PRSI and Universal Social
Charge
Income Tax 2012
Below NO.=number of earners; G.I.=Gross Income of all earners ;
Av. I.=Average Income per Earner, REV.=Total Revenue from all
earners; E.T.R.=effective tax rate
Earners
NO.
G.I.
Av. I.
REV.
E.T.R
Top 10,000 10,000 5,959m
TAX INCOME 364,000
Top 1% 21,650 8,742 m
TAX INCOME
349,000
3,349 m
7,145 m
38%
36%
Average AFTER
Average AFTER
Average After Tax
33%
Austerity period
The recession and austerity period resulted in a dramatic increase in
poverty and, despite the recovery, these levels remain very high. At
36 per cent, child deprivation is double the 2007 rate, while 58 per
cent of lone parents suffer deprivation, up from 35 per cent in 2007.
This means more than one-third of Irish children live in households
experiencing two or more types of material deprivation such as
being unable to afford to heat their homes, buy new clothes, have
sufficient food or socialise with friends and family.
Economic inequality has a profoundly damaging impact on childrens
educational development and wellbeing. At age nine months, the
level of household income a child is born into has no correlation
with their inherent cognitive potential.
However, by just three years of age, children in higher-income
families perform better with a 1 per cent increase in household
income predicted to lead to a 5.1 per cent increase in educational
test scores. By nine, there is a strong negative correlation between
childrens self-image and their social class background, as children
from more disadvantaged backgrounds are more anxious, less
happy and report poorer behaviour.
By 13, children have internalised their inequality by reducing their
expectations. Only 36 per cent of children aged 13 from the bottomincome decile expect to achieve a third-level education in contrast
to 65 per cent from the top-income decile. Children growing up in
disadvantaged areas face multiple inequalities while inequalities in
relation to health and housing are also significant.
Women in Ireland are also disproportionately affected by inequality,
with a concentration of women in low-paid, part-time work and
unpaid care work. Gender inequalities result in women being
underrepresented in more senior positions. Another important factor
is the inadequate provision of quality and affordable public services
and infrastructure in housing, childcare, transport, healthcare and
education. Irelands government expenditure as a percentage of
gross domestic product is now the joint-lowest (with Lithuania) in
the EU.
Irelands high level of economic inequality results from structural
issues shaped by the type of economic policies pursued in recent
decades. We have followed a variety of capitalism that is
deregulated, neoliberal and free-market in orientation. In contrast,
Policy shift
To reduce inequality in Ireland, particularly child poverty, requires a
significant shift in policy and political decisions that prioritise
equality. Proofing budgetary measures for their impact on economic
inequality is essential. Would reducing inheritance tax, abolishing a
progressive tax such as the universal social charge, failing to raise
the minimum wage or the lack of a wealth tax pass such a proofing?
Policymakers should remember the message from the public in the
general election: investment in quality public services (health,
housing) should be prioritised before tax cuts. This centenary year
should give the economic equality dimension of the 1916
Proclamation, which declared equal rights and equal opportunities
to all citizens, the required political and policy attention it merits.
Dr Rory Hearne is a senior policy analyst with Tasc and lead author
of Cherishing All Equally 2016. tasc.ie/publications/ cherishing-allequally-2016/
2016 irishtimes.com
Deputy Seamus Healy: I thank the Acting Chairman and welcome the opportunity
contribute to the Second Stage debate on the Finance (Tax Appeals) Bill 2015. The
tax system is grossly unfair. The poorest people are the most highly taxed in Irelan
is not surprising, therefore, to find we are discussing a Bill today which confines leg
recourse in tax disputes to the High Court and excludes the right of appeal to the C
Court. This means that only the wealthiest can challenge decisions of the appeal
commissioners. Taxpayers on low and middle-incomes and small, self-employed, so
traders are effectively excluded from taking an appeal given the huge cost associate
with a High Court case and the exclusion of the possibility of an appeal to the Circu
Court.
The Government, Ministers, journalists and some academics are involved in system
deception in relation to the taxation system. Fairness or equity in taxation is based
the answer to the following question: what proportion of their own income, wealth o
assets does each stratum of the population pay in tax? Research from the Nevin
Economic Research Institute shows that poorer people are paying out more of their
income in tax as a result of indirect taxation such as VAT and excise duties. The
institute states that the poorest 10% of people pay a larger share of their income in
than the richest 10%. In other words, poorer people pay a larger share of their inco
than the super-rich in our society. The poorest 10% are paying 29.93% in indirect
taxation as against the figure of 5.7% paid by the richest 10% of people. Over the
12 months, we have had Ministers and journalists attempting to deceive the public
believing the opposite is the case. The trick is to pretend that income tax is the only
and to omit the huge portion of VAT and other indirect taxes paid by the poorest in
society. There is a line of people available to spin this one, the idea and hope being
more they spin it, the more people will believe it.
The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan
tells us we have one of the most progressive tax systems in the world while the Min
of State at the Deputy of Justice and Equality, Deputy Rordin, tells us that the t
6% are paying 44% of the entire tax take. The Taoiseach tells us we have one of th
most progressive tax systems in the world while the Minister for Finance, Deputy
Noonan, tells us we have the most progressive tax system in the OECD. It goes on
on. The fact of the matter is this is spin. Significantly wealthy, super-rich people are
paying their fair share of tax. The taxpayers on low and middle-incomes and the po
pay in tax a greater share of their income than the super-rich.
Income tax constitutes only approximately 41% of all taxation.
I believe the exclusion, particularly by Labour Party Ministers, of the VAT on the po
which was increased by this Government makes that partys statements absolutely
misleading and shows it is part of a Government that is governing for, and on beha
the wealthy.
The reason people on large incomes pay a high proportion of all income tax, but no
their incomes, is that they have a grossly unfair proportion of all income. In fact, in
reply to a parliamentary question the Minister told me that the top 10,000 income
earners had an average annual income of 595,000. That was in 2012, and it has
increased since then. The Minister gave further figures which showed that the top 1
of income recipients, 216,500, had a gross income of approximately 30 billion, or
average of 136,700. Their effective rate of tax was 24%. To add insult to injury, in
last budget the Minister gave a total of 7 million in tax relief to the people on an
average annual income of 595,000. He gave 150 million in tax relief to the top 1
of earners in the country. This was confirmed by the press officer of the Departmen
Finance in a letter to The Irish Times at the time.
This is all against a background where a recent report by the Central Statistics Offi
the Survey on Incomes and Living Conditions, SILC,showing that there are 400,000
children living in households experiencing multiple forms of deprivation, with 135,0
children suffering daily deprivation. The number of children living in consistent pov
meaning that they both are living at risk of poverty and experience deprivation, do
from 6% to just under 12% between 2008 and 2013. What is this Government
proposing to do? It is now proposing to give even more tax relief to very wealthy p
in the forthcoming budget, while fuel and heating allowances are continuing at leve
that were reduced by the Labour Party leader as we face into another winter.
Another issue is wealth tax. We have no wealth tax on wealthy people. Indeed, dur
recent appearance on RTE, the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and
Equality, Deputy Rordin, made much of the introduction of the local property ta
domestic dwellings as a move towards tax fairness. This is another spin. Even thos
with negative wealth mortgage debt, credit card debt and car loan debt must p
the so-called property tax. The Central Statistics Office has shown that financial as
which exclude homes, farms and buildings, have increased by 93 billion from 200
2013 and are now at 165 billion. That is 25 billion above the boom level. Not a p
in wealth tax is due on these gains, while families in negative equity must pay the
called property tax. Of course, the distribution of wealth is grossly unfair in this cou
This has been shown again in a recent Central Bank report. The top 10% of househ
or 165,820 households, own 53.8% of all net household wealth or a total of
approximately 300 billion, which is almost 2 million each. The vast bulk of that w
is free of wealth tax.
At this stage, there is no point in further appeals to the Labour Party to deal with th
scandal. I appeal to the trade union movement, academics and journalists to expos
scandalous deception being visited on Irish people by the Government, and particu
by Labour Party Ministers, about taxation in the service of the super-rich. I comme
Mr. Fintan OToole on a very good beginning in this regard in yesterdays The Irish
Times. The fact is that the poorest 10% of people in this country pay a bigger
proportion of their income in tax than the wealthiest, super-rich 10%. That must st
It must change, and that should start now
Update Sept 30,2015
OCT 10
Fr Peter McVerry Budget Briefing Breakfast
Im absolutely dismayed at idea that the tax cuts are going to be at
the top rate of tax. That horrifies me. I really cant express how
outraged I would be at that, he said.
OCT 8 Taoiseach Confirms Government Plan to Reduce the top Rate
of Tax.
Mr Noonan has confirmed in a Dil reply that the top 10,000 income
recipients have an average declared income of 595,000 Euro per
year each. A reduction of 1% in the top rate of tax would give
them back 5600 Euro each per year. A couple on
unemployment benefit will pay an extra 280 Euro per year in
water charges and receive no benefit from a reduction in the
top rate of tax!!!!
Sept 15 Social Justice Ireland has shown that the Government plan
to increase lower rate tax band would disproportionally benefit the
rich http://www.socialjustice.ie/content/some-budget-income-taxproposals-would-favour-rich-expense-lower-income-workers
Fr Sean Healy, Director Social Justice Ireland, said:If money is
available for tax reductions then making tax credits refundable
would be the fairest and best option to take. By making tax credits
refundable the full value of the tax credit goes to everybody who
has an earned income (Irish Examiner Sept 15)
Report in Irish Times Sept 15
Yesterday, the director of Social Justice Ireland Fr Sen Healy
published the result of a study of six possible changes in the
budget. It showed that three would produce what it called a fair
outcome increasing the personal tax credit, reducing the lowest
USC rate by 1 percentage point or reducing the middle USC rate by
2 percentage points.
The study found that three of the changes would produce what it
said was an unfair outcome by disproportionately benefiting the
better off reducing the top tax rate to 40 per cent, increasing the
standard rate band and reducing the 7 per cent USC rate.
Sept 13 Irish Times
Tnaiste Joan Burton has identified reform of the USC as one of
her priorities, but Mr Kenny said he and Ms Burton have already set
out the fact that as we prepare for budget 2015 and budgets
subsequent to that, we would start the process of a reduction of the
extent of tax of 52 per cent being paid by people.
This confirms that tax relief in the coming budget will give
nothing to the poorest 70% of the population and most to
the rich-see detailed discussion below -PH
Sept 03,2014
Joan Burton, Labour Party Leader, on RTE this morning, said We
are not yet in a position to reverse social welfare cuts. This was in
the context of government revenue being 1 billion ahead of target
at the present time. She had been asked what the poorest, who are
not in the income tax net (but pay the highest proportion of their
income in taxation generally) would get in the budget: would
heating allowances, child benefit, disability allowances etc be
increased in the budget? The answer was NO. But any leeway
there is should be focused on those on low and middle incomes she
said. All the indications are that she is working to the Fine Gael
agenda of income tax relief which was set out by Minister Coveney
last week. BUT.
All 3 tax proposals by Minister Coveney in Irish Examiner today(August28) Would GiVE Maximun BENEFIT TO THE RICH
and NOTHING AT ALL TO THOSE ON LOWER INCOMES
Simon Coveney Irish Examiner to-day
Three choices are open to the Government, he said. These include
cutting the universal social charge, changing the tax bands, and
lowering tax rates.
1 Reducing the USC: This would Give the top 10,000 INCOME
EARNERS on 595,000E each(PQ REPLY NOONAN) maximum benefit
All those on incomes below 12,000 E per annum would get no
benefit
It has just been confirmed to me in the last few minutes that the
father of a number of young children who was due to appear before
one of the EVICTION Courts this week has sadly taken his own life.
Out of respect for his family I will not be naming the location.
Suffice to say that our uncaring TDs have more blood on their
hands as they DO HAVE the power to put a stop to the never ending
nightmare thats being experienced by thousands of innocent
victims of the bailed out banks and vulture funds!
May he Rest in Peace-Ken Smollen
Recommendation on Evictions
Subject to advice of the Attorney General, the Government
should introduce legislation for a moratorium on home
repossessions until such time as the Governments proposals are in
place.
Commission Fails to recommend a formal declaration of a housing
emergency by Government!!!!! This will enable banks an landlords
to continue evictions despite the spin in the Commission Report
Even the Minority Report by Ruth Coppinger TD, Socialist Party, fails
to call for the formal declaration of a housing emergency by the Dil
Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessnes-Majority Report
http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/committees/32housinga
ndhomelessness/Final-Report-.pdf
MINORITY REPORT
http://antiausterityalliance.ie/wpcontent/uploads/2016/06/Housing-doc-2.pdf
The Minority Report makes some very good points, particularly
pointing out that the FISCAL TREATY must be broken to enable the
state to invest in housing. But the advocacy of a referendum to
change the constitution on property rights and the right to a home,
however laudable, is not an emergency measure. It is no substitute
for the immediate formal declaration of a national housing
emergency by government to enable legal interference with
property rights in order to implement emergency measures
including a halt to eviction proceedings.
The Majority Report fails to call for breaking of the FISCAL TREATY
in order for the state to build adequate numbers of social houses.
Not alone does it put those facing repossession in the hands of the
Attorney General(a member of the government), Chair Curran(FF)
has explained that the moratorium on evictions would only be a
short term measure for a few months. It would last until
government put in place the governments (inadequate) measures
on debt resolution.
To make things worse, The Fianna Fail Finance Spokesperson,
Deputy Michael McGrath says in the Irish Examiner(18/06/2016)
says that the recommendation to pause repossessions is
unworkable and SOMETIMES KEEPING THE HOUSE IS NOT THE
BEST ANSWER. In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr
McGrath said losing the home and starting again may be best for
some people who can no longer afford to remain where they are.
Michael McGrath TD
Independents4Change was represented on the Commission by
Deputies Mick Wallace and Maureen OSullivan. Following the failure
of I4C to support an amendment strengthening the Workers Rights
Bill put down by AAA-PBP, its complete acceptance of the grossly
deficient report is leading to queriess as to where it is headed
politically.
Sinn Fin took the same position as I4C. A piece by Eoin Broin SF
(member of the Commission) in the Irish Independent 18/06/2016
points to no deficiencies in the report and is quite complimentary of
its FF and FG members.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/cowen-detacheddurkan-rambled-but-report-shows-tds-agree-cure-34812099.html
The acceptance of the Fiscal Treaty by Sinn Fin has a particular
significance. The Treaty , in effect,removes the fundamental right of
the government to provide housing for all citizens. How far has Sinn
Fin travelled since Coimhn Caolain TD opposed the Treaty in the
Dil on the grounds that it flies in the face of the 1916
Proclamation in its undermining of Irish sovereignty?
EDUCATION
Well Done President Higgins!!
He (President Higgins) insists that seeking
access for all to housing, health and education
what he calls values for decent living are
not wild, Bolshevik ideas.
And at a time of low interest rates, there is
opportunity to invest in these services. Better to
spend now when money is cheap, he appears to
suggest, than be overly concerned with sticking
to EU fiscal rules.Paul Melia Irish Independent
17/09/2016
Instead of borrowing the money to build the
houses, Taoiseach ENDA KENNY HAS WRITTEN
TO THE EU SEEKING PERMISSION! IRISH
SOVEREIGNTY-HOW ARE YOU!!!
Seamus Healy TD has repeatedly told the government in the Dil:
STOP THE EVICTIONS: Borrow the money immediately to build the
houses and rescue the homeless! Dont ask the EU. TELL the EU
that the government is doing it, he said.
Italy, Spain, Portugal and other countries are ignoring the Fiscal
Treaty when it suits them. We should do the same!
PHONE NO
01-
Stephen Donnelly
01-5349118
#thehubirelandrepealtheevictionbill
Charles Flanagan
Terence Flanagan
Eamon Gilmore
Brendan Griffin
Dominic Hannigan
Noel Harrington
Martin Heydon
Phil Hogan
Brendan Howlin
Heather Humphreys
Kevin Humphreys
Derek Keating
Paul Kehoe
Alan Kelly
Sen Kenny
Sen Kyne
Anthony Lawlor
Ciarn Lynch
Michael McCarthy
Helen McEntee
Nicky McFadden
Dinny McGinley
Tony McLoughlin
Michael McNamara
Eamonn Maloney
Peter Mathews
Olivia Mitchell
Mary Mitchell OConnor
Michelle Mulherin
Dara Murphy
Eoghan Murphy
Gerald Nash
Dan Neville
Derek Nolan
Aodhn Rordin
John OMahony
Joe OReilly
Jan OSullivan
Ann Phelan
John Paul Phelan
Pat Rabbitte
Michael Ring
Brendan Ryan
Alan Shatter
Emmet Stagg
David Stanton
Joanna Tuffy
Liam Twomey
Jack Wall
Brian Walsh
Nl
Richard Boyd Barrett
Tommy Broughan
John Browne
Joan Collins
Niall Collins
Barry Cowen
Sen Crowe
Clare Daly
Pearse Doherty
Stephen Donnelly
Timmy Dooley
Dessie Ellis
Martin Ferris
Luke Flanagan
Tom Fleming
John Halligan
Samus Healy
Michael Healy-Rae
Joe Higgins
Billy Kelleher
Michael Lowry
Pdraig MacLochlainn
Charlie McConalogue
Mary Lou McDonald
Finian McGrath
Mattie McGrath
Sandra McLellan
Michel Martin
Catherine Murphy
Denis Naughten
Patrick Nulty
Caoimhghn Caolin
amon Cuv
Sen Fearghal
Aengus Snodaigh
Jonathan OBrien
Willie ODea
Thomas Pringle
Shane Ross
Risn Shortall
Brendan Smith
Peadar Tibn
Robert Troy
Mick Wallace
Question declared carried.
Voting was also as above on the Report and Final Stage of the Land
and Conveyancing Bill (2013)
Downward pressure
Its not that the Government couldnt bring down the price of
houses. The main levers at their disposal are social housing and
rent controls. These are viable long- term solutions to home
ownership and if they are provided in sufficient quantities at the
right price, they exert downward pressure on prices.
But the targets for social housing set out in the plan will not put a
tooth in the problem. The plan calls for the construction of 125,000
houses by 2021, of which only one in five or fewer will be social
housing built by the Government.
The rest will presumably be provided by the private sector, and we
can take it as read that they dont plan selling these houses for any
less than they are selling them at the moment . They argue they
are not even making money at current prices.
If prices are not coming down and wages are not going up and the
Central Bank wont let banks lend people more than they can afford,
you get the sort of stalemate that prevails in the Irish market. The
Government, to its credit, is trying to solve the problem by
providing a limited amount of cheap housing but the bulk of its
effort seems to be going into subsidising the building industry either
directly or indirectly.
The measures to be announced in the budget in October are
expected to include a 10,000 package for first-time buyers and
other measures to increase the profitability of house-building. At
best, this will allow more people to buy houses at current prices and
also allow more builders to build profitably at current prices. At
worst, it will trigger a jump in prices.
No costing has been put on this part of the plan but if, for
arguments sake, you assumed that half of the buyers of the
100,000 houses that will be built by the private sector got the
money, it would be 500 million over five years.
It represents a massive subsidy for an industry that is
fundamentally uncompetitive because it has overpaid for land and is
now sitting on sites, refusing to develop and playing chicken with
the Government. Those who worship market forces would argue
these builders should all be made go bust and the price of land
should drop, allowing profitable house-building by new entrants. In
a socialist version of this fantasy, the State would then spend 500
million building 200,000 council houses.
It doesnt really matter because neither of these things are going to
happen. It may not be the Governments intention but the housing
plan looks like a massive State bailout for an industry that is being
protected from the consequences of its mistakes. Sound familiar?
2016 irishtimes.com
FINAL WARNING TO
GOVERNMENT-HALT EVICTION
PROCEEDINGS NOW!
-KEN SMOLLEN
not only please the very many uncaring TDs in Leinster House; it
will also lead to failure to achieve our ultimate aim. That aim should
be to achieve fairness for our people and a fair and sustainable
solution to the mortgage distress crisis where families should no
longer have to go without some of the basic necessities of life in
order to keep a roof over their heads!
There can be no doubt that many of the people who will attend on
Saturday will be living through this ongoing nightmare every day.
Others attending will simply be aware of the crisis and see the
urgent necessity for a resolution to be found. We can also be
reasonably certain that a number of politicians will also attend, with
most if not all of them being fully supportive of our unified
campaign.
It is for that reason that I urge anyone who intends to be there on
Saturday NOT to bring banners of any kind, and NOT to bring coffins
or coffin lids with slogans written on them. This is NOT a protest
meeting. IT IS a meeting where we must give the Government a
final warning or an ultimatum that they must force the banks who
operate within this jurisdiction to find a fair and sustainable solution
for all mortgage holders, and while that solution is being sought,
that ALL Eviction proceedings in the courts throughout Ireland be
halted. We cannot afford to give them or any of the media who will
be present reason to see us as just a group of disorganised
protesters. We MUST be seen as reasonable people demanding a
reasonable resolution to a hidden and growing humanitarian crisis
that affects probably well over ONE MILLION people in our country!
I have requested that the reporter and camera crew from RTE not
to film or show the faces of anyone in attendance unless they do so
with the full permission of anyone concerned. They have agreed to
this and before any filming or photo is taken of the attendance that
it is done from the back of the room with a warning beforehand.
This is to ensure that we protect the identities of everyone in
attendance. I would therefore ask that anyone who intends to take
photographs or film the proceedings to please adhere to the same
principle as we must not cause distress of any kind to anyone in
attendance.
It is highly likely that the uncaring TDs in Government will call our
bluff as many of them will be of the opinion that there is very little
we can do if they fail to take the necessary and appropriate action
in forcing the banks to engage fairly with their customers and if
they also fail to ensure that there is a moratorium on the Eviction
proceedings in the courts.
This is where I am of the opinion that their thinking is very flawed. I
have no doubt that a properly organised group of people can have a
huge effect on the workings of the courts, solicitors, MABS, the
Personal Insolvency Service and other such Government backed
organisations and all without the need for protest of any kind.
Recommendation on Evictions
Subject to advice of the Attorney General, the Government
should introduce legislation for a moratorium on home
repossessions until such time as the Governments proposals
are in place.
McGrath said losing the home and starting again may be best for
some people who can no longer afford to remain where they are.
Michael McGrath TD
A Chirde,
I am an activist in a campaign against eviction of homeowners and
tenants in the context of a the national housing emergency as
recently affirmed by Minister Coveney.
Some of those who are having their homes being repossessed are
being evicted by the government which is the owner of a number of
banks including AIB and PTSB
I believe it would be outrageous for any member of the Oireachtas
Committee to agree to the issue of recommendations on housing
and homeless ness which did not call for an immediate halt to all
evictions.
In the case of Banks in majority state ownership no legislation or
constitutional change is required. The government can simply issue
an instruction to the banks it owns. If the bank refuses to comply
the Minister can call a special general meeting of shareholders in
order to put in place directors who will carry out the instructions of
the owners. The Framework Agreement between Government and
Banks is a purely informal, non-legally binding arrangement.
But, of course, all evictions should be banned in this emergency.
This would require emergency legislation which could be completed
in one day.
It would also be important for government to formally
declare a housing emergency and to lay a document before
both houses of the Oireachtas certifying that the emergency
exist. This would prevent landlords and banks blocking the
implementation of the legislation by attempting to invoke
the constitutional protection of private property which is
limited by the necessity to provide for the common good.
I and my allies will hold each member of the Oireachtas Committee
responsible for future evictions who assents to recommendations of
the Committee which do not include the emergency prohibition of all
evictions until the housing and homelessness crisis has been
resolved.
Government is about to lay a document before both houses by June
30 which will certify that a Financial Emergency continues to exist.
This, it believes is necessary in order to protect confiscation of
private property in public service pensions from constitutional
challenge.
Yours sincerely
Paddy Healy
88 Griffith Court, Fairview, Dublin 3
086-4183732
PS I was very disappointed by the decision of the Committee not to
invite The Hub Ireland and Mr Ken Smollen to address you
Your Recommendations will be discussed at a public conference of
anti-eviction activist to be held in Killeshin Hotel Portlaoise before
the end of this month-PH
PQ as originally Submitted
To ask the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD,
if, in view of the statement by Minister for Housing, Simon Coveney
TD that there is a NATIONAL HOUSING EMERGENCY,
he will insist that Allied Irish Bank and its subsidiary the Educational
Building Society and Permanent TSB, which are in majority State
ownership, desist from seeking repossession of family homes
through the Courts and withdraw all such existing applications
before the Courts and
if these bodies refuse to comply, will he call a special general
meeting of shareholders and use his majority share-holding to
dismiss and replace directors refusing to comply with his instruction
and
if he will make a statement on the matter ?
Seamus Healy TD 087-2802199
QUESTION NO: 175
DIL QUESTION addressed to the Minister for Finance (Deputy
Michael Noonan)
by Deputy Seamus Healy
for WRITTEN ANSWER on 14/06/2016
To ask the Minister for Finance if he will insist that a bank and its
subsidiary (details supplied) which are in majority State ownership
desist from seeking repossession of family homes through the
Courts and withdraw all such existing applications before the
Courts; in the event of the bank and its subsidiary refusing to
comply, if he will call a special general meeting of shareholders and
use his majority share holding to dismiss and replace the directors
who refuse to comply with his instruction
REPLY.
As the Deputy will be aware, I have no role in the day-to-day
running of the banks in which the State is a shareholder. These
institutions are run on an independent and commercial basis and
the details of the formal relationship between my Department and
these institutions are set out in the respective Relationship
Framework Agreements, which can be found via the following links.
AIB: http://finance.gov.ie/sites/default/files/Allied-Irish-Banks1.pdf
PTSB: http://finance.gov.ie/sites/default/files/Relationship
%20Frameworks%20for%20the%20Irish%20Banks%20Irish
%20Life%20and%20Permanent.pdf
In relation to the individual institutions referred to in details
supplied Permanent TSB, Allied Irish Banks and its subsidiary EBS:
AIB and Permanent TSB have informed me that they prioritise
keeping customers in their homes. Repossession is a last resort.
Repossessions of Home Loans are not frequent amounting to 183
and 118 for AIB and Permanent TSB respectively in 2015. In
comparison AIB and Permanent tsb have entered formal
forebearance measures in respect of 29,514 and 28,532 Home
the 1,088 court orders for repossession made in the three quarters
of 2015 up to September 30, 758 were for primary homes, 131
were for buy-to-lets and 199 were for other dwellings. -Irish
Times
Courts Service: Repossession Orders in Circuit Courts 2015
Q1
314, Q2 586, Q3 188
There was a huge increase in possessions in the April to June
period. Mr Noonan omits this information, and picks the figure for
Q3 which he then implies is typical though it contains one
month( July) figures only! The reason the Central Bank figure for
Q3 (207) is slightly above the Courts Service figure (188) may be
that the Central Bank figure contains High Court orders in addition
to the Circuit Court orders supplied by the Courts Service.
In time honoured fashion Spinner Noonan, to cover his tracks
claims that it is others who are misrepresenting the situation! The
idea that tens of thousands of houses are being repossessed is just
not correct he said. Additionally, this allows him to suggest that the
repossession problem is really minimal and not nearly as bad as is
being represented.
No journalist or serious person has spoken about tens of
thousands of repossessions. 1,088 orders in the first 3 quarters of
2015 is already a disastrous figure!!!
For example, Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov 12, 2015. says
: Banks have sought to repossess almost 4,500 homes since the
start of the year up to September 30, the latest figures from the
Courts Service of Ireland indicate-Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov
12, 2015.
This is in line with the Central Bank Report: During the third
quarter of 2015, legal proceedings were issued to enforce the debt
security on private dwelling house mortgages in 1,687 cases
(Central Bank Report).
Noonan invents the tens of thousands in order to minimize a
problem which is in fact already disastrous-the oldest trick in the
book of the spinner.
STATE DIRECTION OF BANKS IS UNTHINKABLE!-Noonan
The right of human beings to stay in their own homes is a most
important right. The vast majority of people in mortgage difficulty
are entirely blameless for their own predicament. They were setting
up homes at a particular time. They may have had to move jobs or
have been transferred in their job at a particular time. They were
failed by the state and by its organs such as the central bank and
the financial regulator and by the government of the day.
But Mr Noonan believes that there are superior rights and superior
interests and that the vindication of the rights of householders to
stay in their own home is a secondary consideration even if families
must be placed in hotel rooms or hostels and may be dispersed.
Mr Noonan: Notwithstanding the fact that the State is a
his government. The truth is that the problem of the banks is being
solved by repossessing homes and extending mortgages at
exorbitant interest rates for a greater number of years.
Crafty Capitalist Representative
Michael Noonan is a very crafty political representative of
the Irish super-rich, Irish big business and of foreign big
business. He is a master of spinning to deceive. He is
assisted in this by the editorial writers and by the media
political and economic correspondents. It would be simple
for these to expose him but they have a vested in not doing
so!
In fairness Kitty Holland in the Irish Times has accurately
reported the rate of actual repossessions and court
applications for repossession and columnist Fintan OToole
has exposed his Tommy Cooperstyle deception on tax
equity in favour of the very rich.
all.
Deputy Michael Noonan: There will be no political interference
with the banks. On the question of repossessions, 207 houses were
repossessed on foot of a court order, which does not equate to the
tens of thousands of houses sometimes mentioned in commentary.
There are 121,000 restructured mortgages on private dwellings,
with a success rate of 86.6%. That means the arrangements stick in
just under 87% of cases. The problem is being solved progressively.
I appreciate it is very hard on people and I can appreciate that
people who lost their jobs do not have money. I also appreciate the
concerns and how upset people are. In a very extreme situation,
the issue is being handled reasonably well by the banks
Irish Times Thu, Jan 14, 2016, 11:39 Updated: Thu, Jan 14, 2016,
12:03
Marie OHalloran
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan: I appreciate that its very
hard on people. I appreciate people have lost their jobs and I
appreciate how upset people are.
Banks have been dealing with the issue of home repossessions
reasonably well, according to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan.
He said this idea of tens of thousands of houses being repossessed
is just not correct.
Mr Noonan said I appreciate that its very hard on people. I
appreciate people have lost their jobs and I appreciate the concerns
and I appreciate how upset people are.
But in a very extreme situation its been handled reasonably well
by the banks.
He was responding to Independent TD Samus Healy who asked Mr
Noonan, as the majority shareholder in AIB and its subsidiary EBS
as well as the majority shareholder in Permanent TSB, to call a
meeting of the boards of the banks and to instruct them not to
repossess family homes.
He said that if the bank directors would not agree to that then sack
those members. You have the power to do that as majority
shareholder.
13/06/2016
We have being contacted by RTE Over the passed few days over the
selling of family home mortgages to vulture funds across the county
When Gerry O Boyle campaigned in the last general election on this
issue the matter was not allowed to be high-lighted. Now it has
come the light with the assistance of Gerry O Boyle. RTE has
decided to do a documentary on corruption of Irish banks and the
cover up. RTE is now expected to do full coverage from Castlebar
Eviction Court on June the 13th
Men in balaclavas evict families for vulture capitalists invited
in by government to feed on the public
Irish Mirror Pat
Flanagan 15:33, 3 Jun 2016 Mass evictions loom after it was
revealed that 46,000 mortgages the equivalent to all the
homes in Drogheda and Dundalk are now in the hands of
vulture funds. The sight of men in balaclavas attempting to
evict families from their homes as gardai stand idly by
confirms that we are living in a very sick state. Tens of
thousands of families face being evicted by the vultures. When a
Government invites vultures into our country to feed on the misery
of families in danger of losing their homes, you know Irish society
has lost its moral compass. The sight of men in balaclavas
attempting to evict families from their homes as gardai stand idly
by confirms that we are living in a very sick state.Ireland is indeed a
The Hub-Ireland DATE: 1-6-2016 PRESS QUERIES: info@thehubireland.com (enter Press Query Subject line) Tel: 01 534 9118
(office hours)
WOMAN LOSES HOME TO BANK AND HER BROTHER TO PRISON
At Waterford Circuit Court on Monday, a woman lost her home and
her brother was taken away to prison after Judge Alice Doyle made
a possession order in favour of the bank and held the home-owners
brother to be in contempt of court.
He was sentenced to two weeks in prison and escorted out of the
courthouse by Garda after voicing his objections to the proceedings
in which the Judge had refused his sister the right for him to
represent her, as is allowable. The home-owner had intended to
defend her home because she believed she had an arguable case
and wished to exercise her right to due process. She wished to
bring certain matters before the Judge for consideration before any
possession order would be given. However, she was unable to afford
legal representation and did not feel able to carry out the role of
representing herself in such an already stressful situation, where
she would be up against the banks professional legal team,
including a barrister. In previous proceedings in the same case, but
in front of a Registrar, her brother had been allowed to represent his
sister.
On Monday, she had signed a Power of Attorney for her brother to
represent her again, but Judge Doyle disallowed the request.
The Hub-Ireland, a voluntary group working to help distressed
mortgage-holders, is extremely concerned at how mortgage cases
are being dealt with by the judicial system generally and for the
personal plight of the woman in this particular case, who has not
only lost her home without being able to present her defence, but
has also had to watch her brother being carried away to prison.
The Hub-Ireland is repeating its call for an end to the Evictions
Courts. Its members have been observing the workings of such
courts throughout the country and have reported many similar
cases where home-owners, who could not afford to employ a legal
team to match the banks one, have their rights to justice severely
compromised as a result. This is wrong and it has to stop, said
Byron Jenkins of The Hub-Ireland. Tonight there is a man in prison
and a woman faces eviction, having lost her home. This is a
personal tragedy for this family, but it also highlights all that is
wrong about how the mortgage-crisis has been dealt with. We again
call on the government and all in the political system to act
immediately to put an end to the barbaric suffering being caused to
good Irish people, whose only mistake was to borrow to put a roof
over their heads.
The Dil will break for summer holidays in a few weeks time, but it
will be a long hot summer for those facing eviction as a result of
political inaction, said Jenkins.
The Hub-Ireland is a voluntary, self-help community organisation
that offers free help, support and information to homeowners who
are in danger of eviction from their homes by mortgage companies.
It has launched a campaign to have the Evictions Courts abolished
and asks for the public to support the initiative. It invites anyone in
mortgage distress to contact them at info@thehub-ireland.com or
phone 01 534 9118.
/ends press release
Please Note: The Hub-Ireland has a number of expert
spokespersons who are available to appear as panelists on radio
and television programs dealing with the issues of mortgage
distress. They are also available to give interviews to print media.
possession Order on a Family Home and Jailed the Brother for two
weeks for contempt for wishing to represent his sister.
they are there purely to assist the hooded men in gaining access to
the house. They are on the side of what looks like the bad guys.
Welcome to a modern-day Irish eviction. (There was a doubling in
the number of properties repossessed by mortgage lenders in
Ireland between 2010 and 2013, new research has found.)
This time it fails. The heavy gang leave in their car which still lacks
a visible registration number. This time there was no paperwork
which allowed them to legally enter the property but if members
of the Anti-Eviction Taskforce had not been present to vociferously,
but peacefully, protest, yet another family would have found
themselves homeless by nightfall.
Well, thats what happens isnt it? When you cant pay your debts,
when you fall behind on your mortgage, when the bank lent you
money with no questions or queries beyond how much? and sure,
would you not like a few thousand more? But now, kiddo, its
payback time.
Well, for some people it is anyway. But we know a few things now
that we didnt know back in 2007. We know, courtesy of Ajai
Chopra, that the EU issued an ultimatum to Ireland at the time of
the bailout. We know that the ECB would not allow us to burn senior
bondholders. We know that we are still paying billions in interest
because of this unfortunate mistake.
We know this week, thanks to NTMA chief executive Conor OKelly,
that every worker in the country pays an extra 3,400 in tax every
year compared with just 900 in 2007. We know we were taken for
a ride by banks, the bondholders, and the head honchos in Europe
as well as our own crowd. And we know, as OKelly said, that our
State debt pile of 207bn, 102,000 per employee, is easily the
highest in Europe, by a mile. To be clear he added: Its one of the
highest ratios in the world.
Which may explain why so many people are finding it so difficult to
service 2007 mortgages with 2016 wages (thats if theyre still lucky
enough to be working).
Half the bloody economy is going into a black hole of debt
repayments. The average Irish worker took the hit for all those
bondholders and bankers who were allowed play financial roulette
with no consequences to themselves if they lost everything.
Youd think the Government would feel a little bit sheepish about
that now, wouldnt you? Youd presume that they would go a bit
easy on Joe and Josephine Soap who were unfortunate enough to
need a mortgage when prices were beyond the moon and the banks
were happy to feed the insanity? And youd certainly think that, in
light of our enormous State debt (remember, the highest in
Europe, by a mile!) Michael Noonan would still be in the market for
a bit of debt forgiveness from the EU or IMF.
Youd think, maybe theyd listen to people like those in the AntiEviction Taskforce, The Phoenix Project, Irish Mortgage Holders
Organisation, The Hub and all those other groups working at the
coalface of people who are in despair at the prospect of losing their
homes, and maybe ask the banks to share a bit of the risk, the cost,
the fallout?
But no, seemingly everything is going swimmingly in Noonan Land,
because earlier this month he said we didnt need any deals on
debt, because were in a pretty good place now.
Which will come as news to the hundreds of thousands of people in
the country in mortgage distress particularly if their mortgages
have been sold on to vulture funds at cheap prices not offered to
them terrified to answer their doors in case its the bailiff with a
crowd of hooded men and a few gardai backing them up.
It will also come as news to people like Fr Peter McVerry, whose
Trust last Friday appealed to the Government to do more for people
at risk of becoming homeless and particularly the dangers that the
vulture funds bring with them.
Michael Noonan is a fan, seemingly. Of vulture funds. I know, thats
hard to believe, but then some people have hard necks. They can
afford to.
Fine Gael TD Catherine Byrne got terribly upset when David Hall, of
Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation (IMHO), called Mr Noonan a
vulture [fund] lover at an Oireachtas Housing and Homelessness
committee meeting recently.
After a face-to-face meeting with the minister, Hall said: He was
very clear about his love for vultures. We had a very robust
exchange in relation to it the self-confessed predators. They
circulate for five years, they suck an asset dry and they move on.
Last week Ulster Bank announced that it would be selling over
2,900 of its customers mortgages to vulture funds.
Of those, 900 are family homes, the others, one presumes, are
rental properties. (Most evictions in Ireland actually arise when
people cant pay escalating rents, as opposed to mortgages.)
According to the recent report by the Debt and Development
Coalition Ireland (DDCI) our Government wholeheartedly embraced
vulture funds, which pretty much tells you everything you need to
know about their attitude to Joe or Josephine mortgage problems.
Or families like my friend Danielles, who have just been given a few
months to leave the home they have rented for 10 years.
Their landlord is sorry, but the mortgage has been sold on to vulture
funds and all he can do is commiserate and say that they were
exemplary tenants.
Like many other families in similar situations, they havent a hope of
finding affordable accommodation near their jobs and childrens
schools.
An EU-wide report headed up by NUIG academic Padraig McKenna
also found that there were relatively high numbers of evictions
(including illegal evictions) in the [Irish] private rented sector.
18/05/2016
This evening is probably not a good time to write a report on todays meeting with T
Senators and their representatives in Leinster House as I usually need a day to fully
analyse any event or meeting.
However, it was an absolute pleasure to meet what I would describe as three very lik
minded people, namely Byron, Adrienne and Martina in The Hub office in Dublin befo
heading off to Leinster House. Adrienne had the job of looking after callers to The Hu
while Byron, Martina and I went to the meeting where we first met Seamus Healy TD
and his brother Paddy. We had a cup of coffee in the caf there while discussing the
approach we would be making when presenting our case on behalf of thousands of
people who find that they are the totally innocent victims of the bailed out banks wh
want to legally steal their family homes!
There were approx. 20 TDs present at different stages during our presentation inclu
the following Sean Crowe, Eugene Murphy, Pat Buckley, Thomas Pringle, Dara
Calleary, Martin Ferris, Sean Fleming, Carol Nolan, Ann Rabbitte, Eoin OBroin and
others. Represented were Richard Boyd Barrett and Joan Collins. Needless to say no
representative from either Fine Gael or the Labour Party was there. It surprised me
not one representative of the Independent Alliance made the effort either as all TDs
were invited there by Seamus Healy TD and by myself.
I began the presentation by describing to those present what actually happens in the
Eviction Courts and how people are being treated in a shameful way in particular by
County Registrars. I described the intimidating atmosphere in these places and the
absolute horror, despair and desperation that I see on a regular basis in these awful
places. I also informed them that during the month of May alone there are well over
2,000 Eviction cases listed in the courts throughout the country and with an average
Thanks everyone,
Ken
towards 100.
Now lets say that the average unit in Dublin or any urban centre in
Ireland is 1,400 square feet. This means that the average building
cost of a house/apartment of this size is 140,000. Add to this VAT
of 13.5pc and we get 158,200.
Now on top of this there are professional fees for architects and
surveyors and the like. These could be 12pc of the contract price
plus 23pc VAT. So this is close to 19,000 on top of this price,
bringing the 140,000 initial cost, up with all the fees and taxes to
around 166,000.
Then on top of this are development levies which are the costs per
unit that are added by the council to pay for new roads, water pipes
and sewage. These are typically 9,000 per unit. So we are now up
to 175,000 per unit.
Now we have the cost of the build with all the charges and taxes
before we talk about site cost.
In 2011, Dublin probably had enough houses to deal with the
population. However, there should have been 60,000 built since to
keep up with population growth but only 8,000 have been built, so
we have a shortfall of around 50,000 for the sake of argument.
Imagine the State was to build or fund the build of 50,000 houses.
At 175,000 each, this would cost 8.7bn. This is a big number but
the Irish State can borrow for 10 years at 1pc, according to
Bloomberg yesterday. Therefore, the State could issue a Housing
Executive Bond, which it could sell to Irish residents who are sitting
on 94bn of deposits in the Irish banking system. Servicing this
debt would cost 87m per year.
Traditionally, countries dont pay back the principal of their national
debts, they simply roll it over.
So it would be prudent to suggest that we would do the same for
this Housing Executive Bond.
Now we have a situation where the total annual cost of 50,000 units
is 87m. This means that the annual cost per unit is 1,740. The
implication is the rent that would be needed to be charged per unit
per year to pay the cost of this build, funded by a Housing Executive
Bond, is 1,740 per year. Lets round this up to 2,000 per unit per
year, to include maintenance.
So total rental cost of a new house or apartment is not 12,000 per
annum, as is the case right now, but 2,000 per annum or 38 a
week.
This is feasible. You have seen the numbers. The major cost omitted
is the site cost and this is where we come into the land issue.
At a density of 60 units per hectare, this would mean about 833
hectares of development land, or about 2,000 acres, is needed.
There are 28,000 acres in Dublin in total but just one bank, Ulster
Bank, put a portfolio of 1,850 acres of development land up for sale
this year. So the development land portfolio of just one bank could
Distressed debt
Hedge funds or private equity funds that invest in distressed debt
vulture funds originally invested in sovereign debt but since the
financial crisis in 2008 have moved into buying loans linked to the
property market in the US and Europe.
The Irish Government, according to the report, has wholeheartedly
embraced vulture funds and their entry into the Irish market could
not have occurred were it not for two major public banking
institutions, the National Asset Management Agency (Nama), and
the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC).
Nama is the public entity that acted as Irelands bad bank for
property loans issued by Irish banks, while the IBRC, which is now
in liquidation, took over the collapsed Anglo Irish Bank and Irish
Nationwide.
2016 irishtimes.com
Dail Record
Repossession
Irish Times Thu, Jan 14, 2016, 11:39 Updated: Thu, Jan 14, 2016,
12:03
Marie OHalloran
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan: I appreciate that its very
hard on people. I appreciate people have lost their jobs and I
appreciate how upset people are.
Banks have been dealing with the issue of home repossessions
reasonably well, according to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan.
He said this idea of tens of thousands of houses being repossessed
is just not correct.
Mr Noonan said I appreciate that its very hard on people. I
appreciate people have lost their jobs and I appreciate the concerns
and I appreciate how upset people are.
But in a very extreme situation its been handled reasonably well
by the banks.
He was responding to Independent TD Samus Healy who asked Mr
Noonan, as the majority shareholder in AIB and its subsidiary EBS
as well as the majority shareholder in Permanent TSB, to call a
meeting of the boards of the banks and to instruct them not to
repossess family homes.
He said that if the bank directors would not agree to that then sack
those members. You have the power to do that as majority
shareholder.
There are thousands of families in this country, irrespective of what
you say Minister, facing homelessness by these banks, of which the
Government is a majority shareholder.
Mr Noonan said a relationship framework had been agreed by the
Governments predecessors in office that the political side will not
interfere in commercial decisions and they did not want to politicise
the banks.
It would be a very sad day for the country if you were looking for a
loan and your first port of call had to be your local TD rather than
the bank manager.
He said 207 houses were repossessed on foot of court order and
that is not the 10s of thousands of houses thats sometimes recited
on the commentary on this.
He said 121,000 mortgages on private dwellings had been
restructured and the success rate was 86.6 per cent.
So progressively the problem is being solved.
Mr Noonan said statistics from the Central Bank showed that in the
third quarter of 2015 (July, August and September) legal
HOMELESSNESS UP 50% AS
SOUTH DUBLIN CO COUNCIL
DECLARES HOUSING EMERGENCY
The number of people accessing emergency shelters
across the State was up by almost 50 per cent in
February, compared to the same month last year,
according to the latest figures on homelessness.
The figures, from the Department of the Environment,
show there were 5,881 people in emergency
accommodation in February, which represents a yearon-year increase of 49 per cent. Among them were
1,881 children, which represents an increase of 101 per
cent.
Simon Communities of Ireland spokeswoman Niamh
Randall said the figures were shocking and
demonstrate that existing measures to tackle
homelessness are failing.-Irish Times 14/04/2016
PUBLISHED03/04/2016 | 02:30
Sunday Indepenent
Its no Joke But More Tommy Cooper than Penn and Teller!
Irish Times Report on Dil Discussion Further Down
REPOSSESSIONS: NOONANS MASTER CLASSPaddy Healy
SPINNING TO MISLEAD ON REPOSSESSIONS IN THE DIL!
It is No Joke but Tommy Cooper Strikes Again!
State Owned Banks, AIB, EBS,PERMANENT TSB, are seeking
repossession of homes by court order throughout the country.
Seamus Healy TD recently asked Minister for Finance Michael
Noonan in the Dil to instruct these banks to desist from this.
Mr Noonan refused and stated that In a very extreme situation,
the issue is being handled reasonably well by the banks.
In the course of his reply Minister Noonan quoted figures from a
Central Bank report which stated that in Quarter 3(July, August,
September) 207 properties were repossessed on foot of a court
order. The idea that tens of thousands of houses are being
repossessed is just not correct he said.
This statement is entirely deceptive though there is nothing
technically incorrect in it. It is not just that he attempts to minimise
the awful trauma for 207 families which are losing their homes. A
key tactic of the spinner to deceive is the omission of key
information.
Noonans 207 court orders for repossession are for 1 month
only!!! Circuit courts do not sit in August and September.
Hence the Quarter 3 figures are for the month of July only!
The full information provided by the Courts Service and reported by
Kitty Holland in the Irish Times Last November is: Of the 1,088
court orders for repossession made in the three quarters of 2015 up
to September 30, 758 were for primary homes, 131 were for buyto-lets and 199 were for other dwellings. -Irish Times
Courts Service: Repossession Orders in Circuit Courts 2015
Q1
314, Q2 586, Q3 188
There was a huge increase in possessions in the April to June
period. Mr Noonan omits this information, and picks the figure for
Q3 which he then implies is typical though it contains one
month( July) figures only! The reason the Central Bank figure for
Q3 (207) is slightly above the Courts Service figure (188) may be
that the Central Bank figure contains High Court orders in addition
to the Circuit Court orders supplied by the Courts Service.
In time honoured fashion Spinner Noonan, to cover his tracks
claims that it is others who are misrepresenting the situation! The
idea that tens of thousands of houses are being repossessed is just
not correct he said. Additionally, this allows him to suggest that the
repossession problem is really minimal and not nearly as bad as is
being represented.
No journalist or serious person has spoken about tens of
thousands of repossessions. 1,088 orders in the first 3 quarters of
Irish Times Thu, Jan 14, 2016, 11:39 Updated: Thu, Jan 14, 2016,
12:03
Marie OHalloran
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan: I appreciate that its very
hard on people. I appreciate people have lost their jobs and I
appreciate how upset people are.
Banks have been dealing with the issue of home repossessions
reasonably well, according to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan.
He said this idea of tens of thousands of houses being repossessed
is just not correct.
Mr Noonan said I appreciate that its very hard on people. I
appreciate people have lost their jobs and I appreciate the concerns
and I appreciate how upset people are.
But in a very extreme situation its been handled reasonably well
by the banks.
He was responding to Independent TD Samus Healy who asked Mr
Noonan, as the majority shareholder in AIB and its subsidiary EBS
as well as the majority shareholder in Permanent TSB, to call a
meeting of the boards of the banks and to instruct them not to
repossess family homes.
He said that if the bank directors would not agree to that then sack
those members. You have the power to do that as majority
shareholder.
There are thousands of families in this country, irrespective of what
you say Minister, facing homelessness by these banks, of which the
Government is a majority shareholder.
Mr Noonan said a relationship framework had been agreed by the
Governments predecessors in office that the political side will not
interfere in commercial decisions and they did not want to politicise
the banks.
It would be a very sad day for the country if you were looking for a
loan and your first port of call had to be your local TD rather than
the bank manager.
He said 207 houses were repossessed on foot of court order and
that is not the 10s of thousands of houses thats sometimes recited
on the commentary on this.
He said 121,000 mortgages on private dwellings had been
restructured and the success rate was 86.6 per cent.
So progressively the problem is being solved.
Mr Noonan said statistics from the Central Bank showed that in the
third quarter of 2015 (July, August and September) legal
proceedings were issued in 1,687 cases of private mortgages.
There were 798 cases where court proceedings concluded but
arrears remained outstanding and the court granted a repossession
order in 329 cases.
A total of 422 properties were taken into possession by lenders
BANKS IT OWNS
REPOSSESSIONS: NOONANS MASTER CLASSPaddy Healy
SPINNING TO MISLEAD ON REPOSSESSIONS IN THE DIL!
It is No Joke but Tommy Cooper Strikes Again!
State Owned Banks, AIB, EBS,PERMANENT TSB, are seeking
repossession of homes by court order throughout the country.
Seamus Healy TD recently asked Minister for Finance Michael
Noonan in the Dil to instruct these banks to desist from this.
Mr Noonan refused and stated that In a very extreme situation,
the issue is being handled reasonably well by the banks.
In the course of his reply Minister Noonan quoted figures from a
Central Bank report which stated that in Quarter 3(July, August,
September) 207 properties were repossessed on foot of a court
order. The idea that tens of thousands of houses are being
repossessed is just not correct he said.
This statement is entirely deceptive though there is nothing
technically incorrect in it. It is not just that he attempts to minimise
the awful trauma for 207 families which are losing their homes. A
key tactic of the spinner to deceive is the omission of key
information.
Noonans 207 court orders for repossession are for 1 month
only!!! Circuit courts do not sit in August and September.
Hence the Quarter 3 figures are for the month of July only!
The full information provided by the Courts Service and reported by
Kitty Holland in the Irish Times Last November is: Of the 1,088
court orders for repossession made in the three quarters of 2015 up
to September 30, 758 were for primary homes, 131 were for buyto-lets and 199 were for other dwellings. -Irish Times
Courts Service: Repossession Orders in Circuit Courts 2015
Q1
314, Q2 586, Q3 188
There was a huge increase in possessions in the April to June
period. Mr Noonan omits this information, and picks the figure for
Q3 which he then implies is typical though it contains one
month( July) figures only! The reason the Central Bank figure for
Q3 (207) is slightly above the Courts Service figure (188) may be
that the Central Bank figure contains High Court orders in addition
to the Circuit Court orders supplied by the Courts Service.
In time honoured fashion Spinner Noonan, to cover his tracks
claims that it is others who are misrepresenting the situation! The
idea that tens of thousands of houses are being repossessed is just
not correct he said. Additionally, this allows him to suggest that the
repossession problem is really minimal and not nearly as bad as is
being represented.
No journalist or serious person has spoken about tens of
thousands of repossessions. 1,088 orders in the first 3 quarters of
2015 is already a disastrous figure!!!
For example, Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov 12, 2015. says
: Banks have sought to repossess almost 4,500 homes since the
start of the year up to September 30, the latest figures from the
Courts Service of Ireland indicate-Kitty Holland, Irish Times Nov
12, 2015.
This is in line with the Central Bank Report: During the third
quarter of 2015, legal proceedings were issued to enforce the debt
security on private dwelling house mortgages in 1,687 cases
(Central Bank Report).
Noonan invents the tens of thousands in order to minimize a
problem which is in fact already disastrous-the oldest trick in the
book of the spinner.
STATE DIRECTION OF BANKS IS UNTHINKABLE!-Noonan
The right of human beings to stay in their own homes is a most
important right. The vast majority of people in mortgage difficulty
are entirely blameless for their own predicament. They were setting
up homes at a particular time. They may have had to move jobs or
have been transferred in their job at a particular time. They were
failed by the state and by its organs such as the central bank and
the financial regulator and by the government of the day.
But Mr Noonan believes that there are superior rights and superior
interests and that the vindication of the rights of householders to
stay in their own home is a secondary consideration even if families
must be placed in hotel rooms or hostels and may be dispersed.
Mr Noonan: Notwithstanding the fact that the State is a
shareholder in these institutions, I must ensure that these banks
are run on a commercial and independent basis to ensure the value
of the banks as an asset to the State
Finance Minister Noonan has already made clear his intention to sell
the state owned banks to private investors. Clearly, he is concerned
to maximise the sale value of the banks.
Mr Noonan voted in the Dil to compensate in full international
investors who risked their funds in Irish Banks. Money was
borrowed from international financiers to pay this compensation.
Now Minister Noonan and the FG/Labour Government are using the
banks to collect money originally paid to international investors in
the same banks from the Irish population. Accordingly, Banks are
allowed to charge interest rates to all Irish borrowers which are well
above average rates in other European countries within the
Eurozone. The value of houses in Ireland has now risen. Hence the
huge rise in repossessions between Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 of
2015.
The Priority of Government is that the banks be fattened up for
privatisation
Mr Noonan also tries to give the impression that he has no power to
give instructions to state owned banks.
97
106
586
(Q1)Jan march
233
29
2015
52
314
Q3 (July to September)
142
5
41
188
Q3 Central Bank
207 (properties)were
repossessed on foot of a court order.
Q1,Q2,Q3
758
131
199
1088
The data, released to The Irish Times, also shows 1,088
repossession orders were granted by the courts in the first
nine months of the year, almost 70 per cent more than the
644 granted in the same period last year and 350 per cent
more than the 240 granted in the period in 2013.
Of the 1,088 orders made, 758 were for primary homes, 131 were
for buy-to-lets and 199 were for other dwellings. Kitty Holland
Irish Times Nov 12
These cases (court orders) in the statistics are not the only
cases in which a financial institution is foreclosing. The vast
majority of mortgages contain a foreclosure clause which becomes
operative, without the need for a court order, if there is any failure
in payment of instalments.
Accordingly, only figures supplied by the credit institutions would
disclose the overall number of properties being recovered or sold
by credit institutions.-Statement From Courts Service August
6,2015
Noonan in Dil Jan 14
Central Bank. During the third quarter of 2015, legal proceedings
were issued to enforce the debt security on private dwelling house
mortgages in 1,687 cases. During quarter three, there were 798
cases where court proceedings concluded but arrears remained
outstanding. In 329 cases, the court granted an order for
repossession or the sale of the property. A total of 422 properties
were taken into possession by lenders in the quarter, of which 207
were repossessed on foot of a court order. The remaining 215 were
voluntarily surrendered or abandoned.
Ml Noonan On the question of repossessions, 207 houses were
repossessed on foot of a court order(in 2015-ph), which does not
equate to the tens of thousands of houses sometimes mentioned in
commentary. Jan 14
between the State and the banks in which the State has an
investment. The banks are therefore entitled to pursue all options
open to them in order to realise the value of their impaired assets,
within the significant constraints imposed by their regulator, the
Central Bank and the law as it applies.
The Government has put in place a broad strategy to address the
problem of mortgage arrears and family home repossessions. The
primary focus of this strategy is to support those home owners in
difficulty with their mortgage repayments and, in so far as possible,
to avoid repossession of family homes. In recent months, the
Government agreed measures to enhance awareness of and access
to the insolvency framework. We expanded the mortgage-to-rent
scheme, making it more accessible. In addition, my colleague, the
Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, also
introduced the Bankruptcy (Amendment) Bill 2015, which will,
among other things, reduce the normal duration of bankruptcy from
three years to one year.
The Central Bank of Irelands code of conduct on mortgage arrears
also provides protection as it sets out requirements for lenders
dealing with borrowers who are facing, or in, mortgage arrears on
their primary residence. It ensures that borrowers struggling to
keep up mortgage repayments are treated in a fair and transparent
manner by their lenders and that long-term resolution is sought by
lenders with each of their borrowers.
The number of mortgages in arrears continues to fall. There are
almost 121,000 restructuring arrangements in place and the vast
majority of these are working. The figures demonstrate that most
families can, working with their financial institutions, find an
arrangement to make their mortgage commitments affordable.
Active engagement by indebted borrowers with their lenders is key
to achieving sustainable resolutions. I would urge borrowers in
arrears who have not already done so to take that step by
contacting their lender directly, or MABS, for an independent
assessment of their situation and advice on available resolution
options.
Deputy Seamus Healy: There is a tsunami of homelessness in
this country. Last November, the Dublin Homeless Executive
provided figures according to which some 1,425 children in 677
families were in emergency accommodation. The Dublin Simon
Community said that was unacceptable and shameful. Focus Ireland
said that the Government had failed these families. The Master of
the High Court, Mr. Edmund Honohan, criticised the banks and
accused them of hounding home owners to suicide.
[Deputy Seamus Healy: ] He criticised the fast-tracked
repossession regime that the Government has allowed to be
introduced in the courts. These banks are majority owned by the
State and it is open to the Minister to instruct these banks to desist
country if the first port of call for a person seeking a loan had to be
the local Deputy rather than a bank manager.
Deputy Seamus Healy: We are not asking anybody to do that at
all.
Deputy Michael Noonan: There will be no political interference
with the banks. On the question of repossessions, 207 houses were
repossessed on foot of a court order, which does not equate to the
tens of thousands of houses sometimes mentioned in commentary.
There are 121,000 restructured mortgages on private dwellings,
with a success rate of 86.6%. That means the arrangements stick in
just under 87% of cases. The problem is being solved progressively.
I appreciate it is very hard on people and I can appreciate that
people who lost their jobs do not have money. I also appreciate the
concerns and how upset people are. In a very extreme situation,
the issue is being handled reasonably well by the banks
Mary Carolan
Irish Times Dec 15
Claire Knowles (56) of Castlejane, Glanmire, Co Cork, who will
remain on bail until Wednesday evening after which time she will
return to Limerick Prison unless she has purged her contempt of the
possession order. Photograph: Collins Court
A High Court judge has ruled a woman was lawfully jailed for
contempt of a court order requiring her hand over possession of her
home to a bank.
Mr Justice Richard Humphreys told Claire Knowles she may remain
on bail until 7pm on Wednesday after which time she will return to
Limerick Prison unless she has purged her contempt of the
possession order in the interim.
Ms Knowles was jailed by a judge at Cork Circuit Court on
December 8th for contempt of a court order of January 2014
requiring she hand over possession of her home near Glanmire, Co
Cork, to Bank of Ireland.
She was freed on conditional bail on December 10th pending the
outcome of the inquiry, under Article 40 of the Constitution, into the
legality of her detention.
Giving his decision on Tuesday having heard arguments by Ms
Knowles and the State, Mr Justice Humphreys said he was bound by
the house.
It was very clear what she had to do and legal advice would not
have altered that. It seemed clear Ms Knowles later decided to
represent herself as she was entitled to do but she must take the
consequences of that.
The Circuit Court judge had said he did not believe she was serious
about getting out of the house, he would jail her and refuse a stay,
given the brazen contempt.
In her arguments, Ms Knowles said she is being turned into a
criminal out of civil litigation and these are not ordinary times.
She said the banks had had months to get their paperwork in order
in her case but had failed to do so until much later and then used
the name of a non-entity in these proceedings. Lawyers for the
bank were unable to answer her when she had raised points about
the delay in amending the title of the case, she added.
She also said she had been refused legal aid for the Circuit Court
proceedings as she did not know how to get it and was given an
hour to do so.
I was given no choice, she said.
Ms Knowles told the court she was too traumatised to make the
case because she had been in Limerick Prison and wanted Mr Gilroy
to do it for her.
The judge ruled it was established case law only the person
detained could make the arguments before the court or could
employ a qualified lawyer to do so.
Following an adjournment to allow the judge consider the law on
representation in such cases, Ms Knowles said she was a little more
composed and would present it herself.
There are now more than 1,400 homeless children in Dublin more
than twice as many as a year ago, the latest figures show.
Data published last night by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive
show that during the week of 18th to 25th October there were
1,425 children in 677 families in emergency accommodation.
This represents a 109 per cent increase in the number of homeless
children since October 2014, when there were 680 children in
emergency accommodation in the capital.
Of the total, 975 children in 461 families are in hotels, while 450
children in 216 are in supported homeless accommodation.
Shameful
Cumulative impact
Real solution
At the end of the chain are people who cant afford to rent
anywhere, and for whom social housing isnt available.
The only real solution is to build more. Construction 2020, published
in May 2014, was the Governments first response to this need. To a
large degree it was a strategy for strategies, recommending the
setting up of taskforces and working groups.
The recently announced Budget 2016 has more solid housingconstruction measures. Four thousand houses are to be provided
next year under the first phase of an initiative to build 20,000
homes on sites controlled by the National Asset Management
Agency by 2020. About 90 per cent will be in the Greater Dublin
Area, and three-quarters will be starter homes.
This weeks housing package also included an initiative aimed at
kick-starting the construction of 7,000 more affordable homes in
Dublin and Cork. Developers will receive rebates on construction
levies where a scheme has more than 50 homes and where houses
are priced at less than 300,000 in Dublin and 250,000 in Cork.
These initiatives should help to speed up supply, but building houses
takes a couple of years on average, so this doesnt alleviate the
immediate pressures on the rental market.
Thats where the new deal should help. The two-year rent freeze
gives private tenants breathing space to muster a deposit towards
their own home if they so wish or to find a better deal if measures
to increase supply and reduce prices work.
One announcement this week could bring a glimmer of hope to
tenants reliant on State support. Tax relief will be introduced to
encourage landlords to rent their properties to tenants in receipt of
social-housing supports such as rent supplement. These landlords
will be able to claim 100 per cent tax relief, up from the current 75
per cent. This carrot is more likely to yield results than any of the
Governments rent-regulation sticks.
The Government also hopes to boost the market by making
apartment construction more appealing to builders. Its guidelines
on apartment standards enforceable by ministerial direction are
to be issued early next year.
itself. It could redirect into social use the 4.5billion NAMA plans to
invest with various vulture funds on high end office and apartment
developments. A Housing and Homes Agency could draw on finance
from the European Investment Bank. It could also compulsory
purchase vacant and derelict buildings and take over buy-to-lets in
arrears and convert them to low cost rental housing.
As it currently stands the 20,000 units the government has outlined
NAMA will provide in order to address supply will not be social units
but are to be delivered on a commercial basis and are more likely
to be sold to international investment funds rather than as starter
homes. Indeed NAMAs promotion of and involvement with global
wealth funds in the Irish property market must be questioned as to
how it is benefitting the Irish housing system. It is facilitating the
trend where housing is increasingly becoming a global investment
asset for the wealthy 1per cent.
Problems in our housing system are affecting economic
competitiveness, contributing to rising deprivation, inequality and
poverty, and lowering educational and employment prospects of
those affected. The 2008 crash should be a stark warning that a
rising property market is not necessarily a good thing. The housing
system will only be fixed when policy treats housing in the first
instance as a home, a social necessity and a human right, not a
speculative investment asset or commodity.
Dr Rory Hearne, Senior Policy Analyst, TASC Think-tank for Action
on Social Change
2015 irishtimes.com
Fintan OToole: Opposition to social housing is matter of
ideology not economics
Fintan OToole Irish Times : Tuesday, October 20, 2015, 04:00
Fellmongery is the preparation of animal skins for tanning. A pollard
is an animal that has had its horns removed. In 1949, official
statistics still listed Irelands principal products as including
fellmongery, laces, pigs heads, pollard and snuff.
Yet in that same year, 1949, my mothers family moved into the
Dublin Corporation house where I would later grow up. A poor,
primitive, backward economy could build social housing on a large
scale for people who lacked decent homes.
And the rich, developed, globalised Irish economy of 2015 cant.
In the late 1940s, when my family was housed, Ireland was still
recovering from the drastic economic effects of the second World
War. The average industrial wage was 5.59 a week for men and
2.97 for women.
In real terms, thats less than a third of average industrial wages in
1998 before the Celtic Tiger bubble. Fewer than a third of
households in 1949 had more than four rooms to live in. More than
60 per cent of households had no piped water supply. Nearly half
problems.
At a time the Government cannot deliver safe
hospitalisation or housing, or halt evictions and related
suicides, it is farcical that an additional 255 million must
be contributed to the EU budget this year. In his
presentation to the Committee on Budgetary Oversight,
the Minister for Finance confirmed that the financial
emergency is over. This was also recently re-certified by
the Minister for the Public Expenditure and Reform. The
confiscation of public service pensions under the FEMPI
legislation is, therefore, unconstitutional. The right to
private property of pensioners in their pensions must be
fully restored immediately. This is not provided for in the
budget. In addition, the pension reductions imposed on
occupational pensioners in State bodies and in the private
sector must be restored.
The budget is a joint effort by Fine Gael, the so-called
Independent Alliance and Fianna Fil. Fianna Fil has taken
responsibility for this shameful and socially divisive
budget. The problems relating to health, education,
housing, roads and various other public services will not
be resolved until Irish sovereignty as set out in the
Democratic Programme of the First Dil of 1919 is reestablished. This requires the political defeat of the
austerity parties, Fianna Fil, Fine Gael and the Labour
Party, and those prepared to support or to coalesce with
them in the framework of the fiscal treaty. It is important
to recall what the Democratic Programme of the First Dil
said. It stated, We declare in the words of the Irish
Republican Proclamation the right of the people of Ireland
to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control
of Irish destinies, to be indefeasible, and in the language
of our first President, Pdraig Mac Phiarais, we declare that
the Nations sovereignty extends not only to all men and
women of the Nation, but to all its material possessions,
the Nations soil and all its resources, all the wealth and all
the wealth-producing processes within the Nation, and
with him we reaffirm [remember this] that all right to
private property must be subordinated to the public right
and welfare. That sentence is particularly relevant to the
peace.
The politicians have organized this year so that we will
have our election first and the welfare reforms planned
under the Tory Fresh Start agreement second. This is
because everyone knows the depth of these reforms. We
in the North are headed for a period of poverty that will
scare people. I see it because of where Im working.
Sinn Fin will be unable to mitigate against that when it
hits the ground. They will be able to say the British
government cheated us, but that wont be enough.
RB:What do you think led Sinn Fin to that point? Is there
any chance they could take a leftward turn, bringing their
Northern politics closer to the ones they espouse in the
South?
Bernadette D:I remember my last serious conversation
with Gerry Adams on the peace process in the 1990s. I
asked him then, What is your Plan B if this doesnt work?
He didnt have one. It was clear that this was the only
game in town. We are seeing the effects of that now
because even if they wanted to stand up to austerity they
couldnt do it.
I missed a key point in that conversation. At the time, I
thought, This is a high-risk, short-term strategy. In fact,
it wasnt that. It was a low-risk, long-term strategy. The
two sides had fought to an impasse and that impasse was
being set up as the new normal.
The British policy was to demilitarize but also to
demobilize and demoralize the resistance to its
government. Sinn Fin became the mechanism by which
that could be done. The peace process, which was
supposed to last four or five years, is now almost twenty
years old and is not finished yet.
For Sinn Fin the problem is one faced by a lot of electoral
parties. You organize a mass movement and you oppose
the political system, but to create a space to advance the
Full Article
bailout is paid
back to the international banks.
Now the 26-counties is an EU colony. The 6-countie is a
British
Colony.
Ireland north and south is facing new austerity measures
in the wake
of the UK vote. An organised 32-county mass campaign
against austerity
is needed urgently. That means NOW!
In his reaction to the BREXIT vote,Gerry Adams failed to
call
for an end to the application of the Fiscal Treaty to
Ireland.
He failed to announce a halt to the implementation cuts
in
welfare and public services through the Norther Executive
which
is now being described as a "government" in An
Pboblacht
In her contribution on The Week in Politics (26/06), Mary
Lou McDonald,
Deputy Leader of Sinn Fin failed to mention the Fiscal
Treaty.
She failed to point out that the application of the Fiscal
Treaty to Ireland mus be ended to prevent a new bout of
austerity in the 26-counties!! Where is Sinn Fin going?
The low turn-outs of 49% in West Belfast and 57% in Derry
show a decline in confidence in the SF leadership among
the nationalist poor.
Gerry Adams There is now a democratic imperative for a
border poll.
The Irish government should support this.
There is no provision in the Good Friday Agreement for a
binding all-Ireland vote on Irish unity. The northern
majority retains a veto in a 6-county vote
READ it at the link hereunder
https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/alldfawebsitemedia
/ourrolesandpolicies/northernireland/good-fridayagreement.pdf
-------------------------------------------------------
News.
The experience should serve him well as his party tackles
the impression that it does not do economics and
mathematics very well.
IN-TRAY: One reason for the DUP side-stepping Finance this
time may be the likelihood of becoming known as the
Minister of cuts as O Muilleoir handles departmental
spending, along with the first budget of the new Assembly.
Had his first engagement yesterday examining the peace
dividend for working-class communities.
Finance minister Mirtn Muilleoir (Sinn Fin) facing
budget baptism of fire
Irish News 26/05/2016
SINN FINs new finance minister is faced with making
more cuts as soon as he enters office.
A departmental memo, seen by The Irish News, reveals
that Stormonts financial woes are growing.
The memo from former finance minister Mervyn Storey
warns that since Chancellor George Osbornes budget in
March circumstances have changed and that the impact
will require difficult decisions.
Mr Storey adds that the extent of the difficulties will only
become clear next month.
Since Budget 2016-17 was agreed a number of significant
public expenditure pressures have been identified that the
incoming executive will need to address in the June
monitoring round, Mr Storey tells his
executive colleagues.
The full extent of the net pressures facing the executive
will not be known until June.
However, it is already clear that the new executive will be
faced with some difficult decisions in relation to the
GAME IS UP FOR RELIANCE ON FOREIGN DIRECT
INVESTMENT AD IRELAND CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT
WHILE WE ADHERE TO THE FISCAL TREATY.
IRISH PEOPLE ARE BEING SLEEP WALKED INTO ECONOMIC
DISASTER BY FG, FF, LABOUR REPRESENTING THE IRISH
SUPER-RICH
May 08 Professor Colm McCarthy in Sunday Independent
Irelands industrial strategy has been built for decades
around inward direct investment and the core attraction is
a low tax rate on corporate profits. The nominal rate in the
US works out at 39pc (combining federal and state
impositions), but averages around 25pc in many European
countries and just 12.5pc in Ireland.
Most of the multinational companies that have chosen to
locate here are US corporations and the leakage of both
jobs and tax revenues to foreign jurisdictions, including
Ireland, has become a headline issue in American politics.
There are also investigations into Irelands corporate tax
policies under way at the European Commission while the
Paris-based OECD, the club of the worlds more developed
countries, is promoting an international agreement which
could affect Ireland too.
At this stage it looks as if the bigger threat to Irish policy
will come from the US rather than Europe. Irish policy has
not been particularly successful in attracting companies
here from Britain or continental Europe. But US
companies, not all of them manufacturers, employ
140,000 people according to the US-Ireland Chamber of
Commerce. Whatever happens at European level,
unilateral action by the United States would affect
adversely the attractions of Ireland for new investment
from the US and the survival prospects of companies
already here.
The US corporation tax rate is one of the highest in the
world. But many US corporations never have to pay tax at
http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/paul-sweeney-where-tofind-money-to-solve-the-housing-crisis-1.2599331
GOOD Friday AgreementExtract- Sinn Fin has Agreed to
Unionist Veto on Irish Unity through Vote Confined to 6counties
CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES 1. The participants endorse the
commitment made by the British and Irish Governments
that, in a new British-Irish Agreement replacing the
AngloIrish Agreement, they will: (i) recognise the
legitimacy of whatever choice is freely exercised by a
majority of the people of Northern Ireland with regard to
its status, whether they prefer to continue to support the
Union with Great Britain or a sovereign united Ireland; (ii)
recognise that it is for the people of the island of Ireland
alone, by agreement between the two parts respectively
and without external impediment, to exercise their right of
self-determination on the basis of consent, freely and
concurrently given, North and South, to bring about a
united Ireland, if that is their wish, accepting that this right
must be achieved and exercised with and subject to the
agreement and consent of a majority of the people of
Northern Ireland; (iii) acknowledge that while a substantial
section of the people in Northern Ireland share the
legitimate wish of a majority of the people of the island of
Ireland for a united Ireland, the present wish of a majority
of the people of Northern Ireland, freely exercised and
legitimate, is to maintain the Union and, accordingly, that
Northern Irelands status as part of the United Kingdom
reflects and relies upon that wish; and that it would be
wrong to make any change in the status of Northern
Ireland save with the consent of a majority of its people;
(iv) affirm that if, in the future, the people of the island of
Ireland exercise their right of self-determination on the
basis set out in sections (i) and (ii) above to bring about a
united Ireland, it will be a binding obligation on both
Governments to introduce and support in their respective
Parliaments legislation to give effect to that wish; (v)
affirm that whatever choice is freely exercised by a
majority of the people of Northern Ireland, the power of
the sovereign government with jurisdiction there shall be
(Planned exchequer investment this year will fall to a 50year low. It may not even cover depreciation.-Paul
Sweeney -ref1)
The fiscal treaty agreed following the Lisbon treaty has
created a new colonialism within Europe. That treaty flies
in the face of the 1916 Proclamation. It is not a
sovereignty-sharing treaty. It effectively sets aside Irish
sovereignty and hands it over to big EU powers.
It must be renegotiated. This could best be done in the
framework of a debt -mutualisation conference.
Little Ireland has shouldered 47% of the cost of EU Bank
bailouts. Ireland should demand such a conference and
seek support for this demand from Greece, Portugal,
Cyprus, Spain, Italy and others.
The fiscal treaty requirement for Ireland is essentially a
continuation of austerity over the next 20 years. This is
linked to the circumstances we note today in South
Tipperary General Hospital and the 1,600 children living in
emergency hotel accommodation.
The fiscal compact requires that the current budget deficit
be reduced below 3% of GDP, that the structural deficit be
eliminated by 2018 and that the public debtGDP ratio be
reduced to 60% over the next 20 years. Despite the
physical exit of the troika from Dublin, the Government
and this country are still bound by the treaty to keep the
current budget deficit below 3%. On the other hand, the
current budget deficit in Germany, for instance, has been
below 3% for the last number of years. It has no structural
deficit and the German national debtGDP ratio is at 57%,
already below 60%.
In other words, there are no impositions whatsoever on
Germany under the fiscal treaty.
The treaty is merely a device to force the programme
countries and other indebted countries to make huge
repayments to stronger countries, led by Germany,
control the mass movement in the context of a Fine GaelFianna Fil government.
The concern of the mover and shakers with the rise of Sinn
Fin is not due to the nature of the leadership or IRA
influence in government. British rule is being implemented
in Belfast. The Sinn Fin leadership has said that it would
participate in coalition government provided FF or FG were
minority partners. They must know that a minority FG or
FF partner would veto any measure to tax the super-rich
or to move towards a united Ireland.
The concern of the 26 Co elite is that due to the many
wonderful and self-sacrificing militants in Sinn Fin and
among their supporters, the leaders may be unable to
politically control their members and supporters.
It is vital that Sinn Fin supporters prevent Sinn Fin being
tainted by coalition in any form or external support in
any form for a government containing either Fianna Fil or
Fine Gael
If Sinn Fein and the hard left had over 40% of the vote in
the 26-counties (currently holding 30 seats to FFs 43),
would the unemployed on reduced welfare and the
teacher unable to get a permanent job up the north
continue to support Sinn Fin leadership as the return of
unionist majority rule would be virtually impossible in that
eventuality!
Scroll Down For Discussion Document: Composition of
Next Government-Coalition Options
Dec 1 2015
The Fight for The Sovereignty of the Irish People North and
South-Paddy Healy
Please help me To Lose this Bet-FG/SF Coalition@16/1
After General ElectionDiscussion on Facebook below
Paddy Healy
7:18pm Dec 1
Tens of Thousands of Sinn Fin supporters are totally
genuine. That is why a veteran like myself has a duty to
put them on their guard. The position of Sinn Fin on
coalition was the first red light. If FF or FG are acceptable
minority partners that is a capitulation.FF and/or FG,
backed by the rich and powerful would veto anything
unfavourable to the rich, The subtext to the effect that if
SF/Left were a majority in Government, that SF could call
the shots is nonsense. The most worrying thing is that the
SF leaders know this just as I know it- and still they persist
with it
Brian DArcy 7:05pm Dec 1
Going on about this long before any agreement was
reached in Belfast, live the way you leave out what Sinn
Fin won during those negotiations. We constantly hear
about how the government in the South had no choice but
to accept a bailout so what were Sinn Fin forced to do
when the North has never had fiscal autonomy in the first
place and are given a block grant from Westminster, Sinn
Fin were the one party that fought austerity in the
assembly but yet the worms werent slow in coming out of
the woodwork in the aftermath
Sovereignty: Further Decline Continues-SEN. SHANE ROSS
We are becoming more dependent on the multinationals
every year. They are deciding the size of our deficits. They
are controlling our forecasts. They will soon be writing our
budgets.Sen Shane Ross, Sunday Independent
29/112015
Full Article:
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/shaneross/the-coalition-is-exposed-as-gambling-on-tax-windfalls34243236.html
-
be speedily introduced.
While Westminster is bringing in the necessary legislation,
welfare will be administered from Northern Ireland by DUP
Minister for Social Development Mervyn Storey.
In an attempt to embarrass Sinn Fin during yesterdays
debate, Mr McKinney cited previous comments by Sinn
Fin politicians such as Martin McGuinness opposing
British government welfare reform.
Sinn Fin MLA Conor Murphy said the Northern Executive
was acting as a bulwark against the British
governments austerity policies.
I think what is being proposed and agreed in part of this
implementation plan gives us protection measures better
than exist anywhere on these islands for people who are
struggling, he said.
2015 irishtimes.com
New Stormont House Agreement
Belfast Telegraph 18/11/2015
The Executive will provide 345 million for welfare topups and 240 million for tax credit support over the next
four years. We have asked Professor Eileen Evason to lead
a small working group to bring forward proposals and the
Executive will implement the findings of the group. In my
view this represents a sensible way forward and will
ensure we have both a fair and affordable welfare system
while recognising the need to help those who are also in
work.
This amounts to 86 million per year for amelioration of
Welfare Reductions and 60 million per year for
amelioration of reduction in tax credits to low-paid
families. TUC(below) says that tax credit reductions in NI
will amount to 120 million. Will all amelioration stop after
4 years?-Paddy Healy
Belfast Telegraph
NI Families to lose up to almost 1,500 per year in tax
credits-TUC
17/11/2015
Under the current plans of Chancellor George Osborne, the
analysis confirms the province will be the hardest hit
region in the United Kingdom.
The report from the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) to be
released in full tomorrow 18/11/2015-shows that more
than nine in 10 (91%) working tax credit households in the
UK will be worse off as a result of the Government cuts
and then sets out the average loss in each part of the
country.
It concludes: In Northern Ireland, where average income
per head is the lowest in the UK, the average loss to
working tax credit claimants will be 1,480 the highest
of any UK nation and region. The loss to families here is
around 500 worse than official estimates calculated by
the Department of Social Development.
It warned more than 120,000 households will have their
tax credit payments reduced as a result of the July Budget
and suggested the average loss per household will be
918 per year.
TUC General Secretary Frances OGrady said: This
research makes clear that as well as making families
suffer, the tax credit cuts will make regional inequalities
worse. The households who will lose the most are those
already in low-income areas.
In contrast to the 1,480 average hit to family incomes
here(NI), the average loss for a losing household in London
will be 1,110 despite the fact that the capital has the
highest average income per head in the UK.
ment.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/a
ttachment_data/file/390673/Stormont_House_Agreement_F
inancial_Annex.pdf As can be seen at the above links SF
has agreed to eliminate huge number of public service
jobs in the coming years. Voluntary redundancy of 3000
public servants is now in progress. These will not be
replaced. SF has endorsed an Agreement which imposes a
fine on the northern administration of 114 Million for
each year that the 2013 welfare cuts are not imposed.
Further welfare cuts by the Tory government are now in
the pipe line. The current controversy is designed by
Britain and Unionism to force Sinn Fin to be even more
compliant. They have decided that while they cannot quite
dispense with SF yet, they can weaken their support
among the nationalist population by forcing SF to support
unpopular measures as the price of remaining in the
northern administration. THE ANSWER TO LONDON AND
DUBLIN CUTS IS AN ALL-IRELAND MASS CAMPAIGN
AGAINST AUSTERITY NORTH AND SOUTH Why the SF
opposition to Welfare Cuts.? They have agreed to bigger
financial cuts in the Stormont House Agreement.The first
answer lies in the caste system. The dole is a huge issue
among nationalists currently and historically. Welfare cuts
would seriously damage Sinn Fin support in nationalist
areas. SDLP did not fully endorse the Stormont House
Agreement. SDLP is not yet prepared to support welfare
cuts either. Welfare cuts weigh more heavily on the
nationalist population and in the northern caste system is
perceived to be an anti-nationalist measure. If SF caves in
to the pressure they will open the door to other political
forces in nationalist areas. Welfare Cuts would also
damage SF in the south.It is true that most nationalist and
unionist citizens are not enamoured of the northern
assembly.But that does not mean that if welfare cuts were
imposed that there would not be a big political reaction
among nationalists against any party which remains in the
administration while LONDON imposes the cuts.THE
ANSWER TO LONDON AND DUBLIN CUTS IS AN ALLIRELAND MASS CAMPAIGN AGAINST AUSTERITY NORTH
AND SOUTH
Stormont
Wed Sept 9 PM
Mitchel McLaughlin of Sinn Fein said he had written to the
Queen to mark her milestone achievement.
The Assemblys first republican Speaker has formally
congratulated the Queen on becoming the longest serving
monarch.Belfast Telegraph Aug 09
Quite the contrast to what James Connolly said: We, at
least, are not loyal men; we confess to having more
respect and honour for the raggedest child of the poorest
labourer in Ireland today than for any, even the most
virtuous, descendant of the long array of murderers,
adulterers and madmen who have sat upon the throne of
England.
WED Aug 09 AM
Crisis of northern Institutions deepens as Storey arrestedNew DUP Threats-Adams Statement
The depth and significance of the crisis is being
underestimated in 26-counties
Tueday Aug 8
Welfare cuts and public service cuts to be imposed in 6counties. FG/Lab imposing cuts and unfair taxes on
ordinary people in the 26-counties
There has already been a one-day public service workers
strike against austerity in the north. We have had huge
marches against water charges in Dublin.
Why not a UNITED 32-COUNTY popular mobilisaton on the
streets against austerity? Let us have marches in Belfast
as well as in Dublin! We did it for Civil Rights in the sixties
and for the H-block prisoners in the early 80s.
Monday Aug 7 Sinn Fein locked out of Northern Executive
by DUP until McGuigan affair cleared up to satisfaction of
DUP. First Minister Robinson Said:As a first step there will
withdraw from the Executive and did not allege that direct
imposition of welfare cuts by the British Government
would be a breach of the Good Friday Agreement
Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan said:
I acknowledge and accept that the British Government is
doing this very much as a last resort, but it is not
something that is supported by the Irish Government.
Anything that is a departure from devolution would not be
supported by us, said Mr Flanagan, who side-stepped
questions about the degree of notice Dublin enjoyed about
the British action.-Irish Times
Like Deputy First Minister McGuiness, Minister Flanagan
did not allege that direct imposition of welfare cuts by the
British Government would be a breach of the Good Friday
Agreement
For an Electoral Alliance between The Left and Sinn Fin in
26-Co Election on the basis of No Coalition In Principle
With FF or FG
My objective in circulating this discussion document is to
bring about an electoral alliance between Sinn Fin and
left groups on a principled position of rejecting coalition
with FF or FG whether these parties are a majority or a
minority in government. In order to enable this to occur,
Sinn Fin would have to change their position of
permitting coalition with FF or FG in a Sinn Fin led
government in which FF or FG are a minority. Left groups
who already have such a position, must stop dismissing
Sinn Fin as possible electoral allies in the south.
The experience of the nationalist population in the 6counties is a huge positive resource for the transformation
of the whole of Ireland. They have experience of decades
of revolt and remain undefeated. The aggressive rightwing orientation of the Tory government at Westminister
will propel them and fellow-workers in the unionist
tradition into new struggles. Indeed it already has done so
in the one-day public service strike earlier this year.
wing TDs that they will not go into coalition with FF and/or
FG after the next election and that they will under no
circumstances implement the Fiscal Treaty which flies in
the face of the 1916 Proclamation according to Caoimhn
O Caolin.
Questioner 1
Paddy, as someone who has a lot of respect for you,let me
assure you that there exists an undying hatred between
SF and FG. As I stated before as well as the huge chasm in
policy terms there is also a massive gap in social and class
terms.FF ,FG Lab,PD,Renua all come from a social
demographic that is a million miles from SF and its
support base.
It is extremely dangerous to proceed to political
conclusions solely on the basis of undying hatred and
massive gaps in social class between political
formations. Sean McBride was chief of staff of the IRA after
the formation of this state and FG leader, Dick Mulcahy,
had ordered the execution of 77 republicans.Yet in 1948,
they were ministers in the same government. In fright at
the red brigandage that was loose in Munster, Collins
and Devalera made an electoral pact notwithstanding the
civil war. Labour leader,Tom Johnson, entered the Treaty
Parliament thus supporting a regime which was not just
executing republicans without trial but was also smashing
by force the worker-controlled red flag creameries in
Munster. The fact that he had been calling for all power to
the soviets a short time earlier was not a problem for
him.
History is littered with situations where powerful class
forces overcame undying hatreds and massive gaps in
social class.
If undying hatreds and massive gaps in social class were
sufficient to protect working class interests, the Workers
Republic and,indeed, international socialism would already
be in existence
Questioner 2: But,Paddy, would not a FF-FG Government
be a much easier option for the establishment?
enough to do so!
Ministers John Halligan and Finian McGrath ,Shane Ross,
Boxer Moran, Sean Canney of the Independent Alliance
must Force Government to HALT ALL EVICTIONS NOW
EVICTION RELATED SUICIDES CONTINUE
Ken Smollens post on Facebook
It has just been confirmed to me in the last few minutes
that the father of a number of young children who was due
to appear before one of the EVICTION Courts this week has
sadly taken his own life. Out of respect for his family I will
not be naming the location. Suffice to say that our
uncaring TDs have more blood on their hands as they DO
HAVE the power to put a stop to the never ending
nightmare thats being experienced by thousands of
innocent victims of the bailed out banks and vulture
funds!
May he Rest in Peace-Ken Smollen
GOVERNMENT, FF, LAB, INDEPENDENT ALLIANCE ARE
RESPONSIBLE
But Sinn Fin and Independents for Change Must Share
Some of the Blame
ONLY Ruth Coppinger Dissented from Flawed
Recommendation
The Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessnes
recommended that there be a pause in eviction
proceedings until new debt resolution procedures were in
place
Subject to advice of the Attorney General, the
Government should introduce legislation for a moratorium
on home repossessions until such time as the
Governments proposals are in place.
AND
The Government should urgently seek flexibility from the
European Commission on the application of the EU fiscal
rules to the financing of social housing
Surprise! Surprise! There is no halt to evictions (even on a
temporary basis) in Minister Coveneys housing plan.
Unfortunately Sinn Fin and Independents 4 Change(Mick
Paddy Healy
88 Griffith Court, Fairview, Dublin 3
086-4183732
PS I was very disappointed by the decision of the
Committee not to invite The Hub Ireland and Mr Ken
Smollen to address you
Your Recommendations will be discussed at a public
conference of anti-eviction activist to be held in Killeshin
Hotel Portlaoise before the end of this month-PH
The only answer is for The Irish People to establish its own
sovereignty
(2013)
Seamus Healy repeatedly Called for a Halt to Evictions and
the Declaration of a Housing Emergencyin the Dil
Irish Times:Minister Noonan Replies to Seamus Healy on
Evictions
Minister says no political interference in bank decision, but
progress being made
Irish Times Thu, Jan 14, 2016
Marie OHalloran
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan: I appreciate that its
very hard on people. I appreciate people have lost their
jobs and I appreciate how upset people are.
Banks have been dealing with the issue of home
repossessions reasonably well, according to Minister for
Finance Michael Noonan.
He said this idea of tens of thousands of houses being
repossessed is just not correct.
Mr Noonan said I appreciate that its very hard on people.
I appreciate people have lost their jobs and I appreciate
the concerns and I appreciate how upset people are.
But in a very extreme situation its been handled
reasonably well by the banks.
He was responding to Independent TD Samus Healy who
asked Mr Noonan, as the majority shareholder in AIB and
its subsidiary EBS as well as the majority shareholder in
Permanent TSB, to call a meeting of the boards of the
banks and to instruct them not to repossess family
homes.
He said that if the bank directors would not agree to that
then sack those members. You have the power to do that
as majority shareholder.
There are thousands of families in this country,
irrespective of what you say Minister, facing homelessness
TD
Jan 18 2016
Brendan Howlin
Heather Humphreys
Kevin Humphreys
Derek Keating
Paul Kehoe
Alan Kelly
Sen Kenny
Sen Kyne
Anthony Lawlor
Ciarn Lynch
Michael McCarthy
Helen McEntee
Nicky McFadden
Dinny McGinley
Tony McLoughlin
Michael McNamara
Eamonn Maloney
Peter Mathews
Olivia Mitchell
Mary Mitchell OConnor
Michelle Mulherin
Dara Murphy
Eoghan Murphy
Gerald Nash
Dan Neville
Derek Nolan
Aodhn Rordin
John OMahony
Joe OReilly
Jan OSullivan
Ann Phelan
John Paul Phelan
Pat Rabbitte
Michael Ring
Brendan Ryan
Alan Shatter
Emmet Stagg
David Stanton
Joanna Tuffy
Liam Twomey
Jack Wall
Brian Walsh
Nl
Richard Boyd Barrett
Tommy Broughan
John Browne
Joan Collins
Niall Collins
Barry Cowen
Sen Crowe
Clare Daly
Pearse Doherty
Stephen Donnelly
Timmy Dooley
Dessie Ellis
Martin Ferris
Luke Flanagan
Tom Fleming
John Halligan
Samus Healy
Michael Healy-Rae
Joe Higgins
Billy Kelleher
Michael Lowry
Pdraig MacLochlainn
Charlie McConalogue
Mary Lou McDonald
Finian McGrath
Mattie McGrath
Sandra McLellan
Michel Martin
Catherine Murphy
Denis Naughten
Patrick Nulty
Caoimhghn Caolin
amon Cuv
Sen Fearghal
Aengus Snodaigh
Jonathan OBrien
Willie ODea
Thomas Pringle
Shane Ross
Risn Shortall
Brendan Smith
Peadar Tibn
Robert Troy
Mick Wallace
Question declared carried.
Voting was also as above on the Report and Final Stage of
the Land and Conveyancing Bill (2013)
Letterkenny 89.
Cavan 39 and 100.
Wexford 43 and 60.
Kilkenny 33 and 40.
Sligo 30.
Roscommon 75.
Ennis 84.
Clonmel 46.
Nenagh 58.
Carlow 41.
Tralee 64.
A grand total of 3,041 families up for eviction, one month
= July.
John McManus Business Editor Irish Times: 23/07/2016
Housing plan looks very like a bailout for big builders
Its not that the Government cant bring down house
prices, more that they dont want to
Irish Times Sunday, July 24, 2016, 11:18
When it comes to sorting out the housing crisis, the
Government really has two choices. They can try to bring
down the price of houses to a level people can afford or
they can help people buy houses at their current
unaffordable prices.
Affordability is hard to define but for Irish purposes it
equates to the limit put by the Central Bank on how much
a bank can lend you, which is 3 times your gross
income. For two people on the average wage, this is about
245,000. This is not a million miles away from the
Its not that the Government couldnt bring down the price
of houses. The main levers at their disposal are social
housing and rent controls. These are viable long- term
PTSB-MICHAEL NOONAN
Repossessions of Home Loans are not frequent
amounting to 183 and 118 for AIB and Permanent TSB
respectively in 2015-Minister Noonan
Just as he did in a previous reply on in Jan 2016(Dail
Record further Down), Minister Noonan seeks to minimise
the horror facing families by misrepresentation and
omission of key information.
The 301 repossessions of family homes are 301 too many.
These are the 301 cases in which the state owned Banks
Only were granted repossession orders. (See I.T., KITTY
HOLLAND further down)
Noonan omits the no of repossession cases taken by the
state owned banks. Most of these never reach the stage of
the issuance of a repossession order. People are too
terrified to appear in court, of the publicity in small
communities, the stress on young children at school etc. it
is common to surrender the house and to go to live with
relations in often overcrowded conditions. Some have
committed suicide due to the extreme stress of the threat
of repossession.
Mr Noonan says he has no role in the matter of
repossessions by AIB, PTSB, EBS. He cites the Framework
Agreement with Banks. This Agreement has no statutory
force. Mr Noonan adheres to the Agreement in order to
wash his hands. Mr Noonan does have a role in evictions.
As owner of these Banks on behalf of the State, he
knowingly permits repossession cases to be taken though
he can forbid this.
Please recommend that all repossession proceedings
affecting dwelling houses, owned or rented, be halted
immediately
To ask the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD,
if, in view of the statement by Minister for Housing, Simon
AIB: http://finance.gov.ie/sites/default/files/Allied-IrishBanks1.pdf
PTSB: http://finance.gov.ie/sites/default/files/Relationship
%20Frameworks%20for%20the%20Irish%20Banks
%20Irish%20Life%20and%20Permanent.pdf
In relation to the individual institutions referred to in
details supplied Permanent TSB, Allied Irish Banks and
its subsidiary EBS:
AIB and Permanent TSB have informed me that they
prioritise keeping customers in their homes. Repossession
is a last resort. Repossessions of Home Loans are not
frequent amounting to 183 and 118 for AIB and Permanent
TSB respectively in 2015. In comparison AIB and
Permanent tsb have entered formal forebearance
measures in respect of 29,514 and 28,532 Home Loans
respectively at December 2015.
While there are some differences between the banks
referred to, their processes are similar. In cases where
customers do not meaningfully engage or do not engage
at all with the bank, reject the offer of a sustainable
mortgage restructuring solution or do not prioritise their
mortgage payment, both banks are likely to pursue
enforcement through the court process. Its important to
note that the initiation of legal proceedings does not
necessarily result in repossession and both banks seek to
engage constructively with borrowers at all times. Both
banks offer a wide range of solutions and operates
multiple engagement channels that facilitate the
maximum possible levels of engagement with customers
in difficulty.
Within the Programme for Government there are several
policy proposals detailed which are being worked on at
present. The objective of these proposals is to accelerate
the restructuring of mortgage arrears cases and keep
families in their homes in so far as possible.
Irish Times Report and Full Dail Record of Noonan Reply to
work.
On the wider issue of repossession, which was the topic of
the Deputys notified question, there is some interesting
data published by the Central Bank. During the third
quarter of 2015, legal proceedings were issued to enforce
the debt security on private dwelling house mortgages in
1,687 cases. During quarter three, there were 798 cases
where court proceedings concluded but arrears remained
outstanding. In 329 cases, the court granted an order for
repossession or the sale of the property. A total of 422
properties were taken into possession by lenders in the
quarter, of which 207 were repossessed on foot of a court
order. The remaining 215 were voluntarily surrendered or
abandoned. The idea that tens of thousands of houses are
being repossessed is just not correct. A small amount goes
through the system. With the changes made by the
Minister for Justice and Equality and with the Money
Advice & Budgeting Service assisting directly people
before the courts, I hope the number will diminish even
further. It is the policy of the Government to put
arrangements in place so that people can live in the family
home.
Deputy Seamus Healy: The Minister is the majority
shareholder in these banks and he has obviously given
permission to the banks to repossess family homes. He
could equally instruct these banks not to go down this
road and repossess family homes. He could call an
emergency meeting of these bank boards and instruct
them not to repossess family homes. I ask him to do so
immediately and if bank directors do not agree, they
should be sacked, as the Minister has the power to do so
as a majority shareholder. This is urgent and, irrespective
of the Ministers comments, thousands of families in the
country are facing homelessness because of banks in
which the State has a majority shareholding. The Minister
could give instructions to stop these repossessions and I
ask him to do so immediately.
Deputy Michael Noonan: There is a relationship
framework, signed by my predecessors in office, with the
To help them digest the financial flesh the law here allows
wealth funds to avail of favourable tax deals which are
outside the reach of the Central Bank.
On the subject of the Central Bank, two years ago the then
Governor Patrick Honohan said he was very unhappy
about the sale of mortgage books to vulture funds and
highlighted the consequences for tenants.
But Fine Gael and Labour were determined that the
vultures be fed and allowed the sell-off which saw property
portfolios worth tens of billions of euro go ahead with
massive writedowns.
It is estimated that around 46,000 mortgages the
equivalent to all the homes in Drogheda and Dundalk are
now in the hands of vulture funds.
The newly-created Dublin Tenants Association has called
for new laws to stop vulture capitalists from forcing
families out of their homes.
DTA spokesman Patrick Bresnihan said: This is not a
natural disaster. The reality is government policy has been
to facilitate vulture funds at every turn, without any
research into the impact of international funds on the Irish
housing system.
The dreadful situation which families find themselves in is
a direct reflection of the ethos and ideology of the
previous government.
Vultures by their nature rarely attack healthy animals, but
will prey on the weak and sick and thats exactly what the
Coalition did.
So we shouldnt be too surprised about Michael Noonans
love of vultures its a case of birds of a feather flock
together
1,700 homes promised a year ago not one has been built
beyond how much? and sure, would you not like a few
thousand more? But now, kiddo, its payback time.
Well, for some people it is anyway. But we know a few
things now that we didnt know back in 2007. We know,
courtesy of Ajai Chopra, that the EU issued an ultimatum
to Ireland at the time of the bailout. We know that the ECB
would not allow us to burn senior bondholders. We know
that we are still paying billions in interest because of this
unfortunate mistake.
We know this week, thanks to NTMA chief executive Conor
OKelly, that every worker in the country pays an extra
3,400 in tax every year compared with just 900 in 2007.
We know we were taken for a ride by banks, the
bondholders, and the head honchos in Europe as well as
our own crowd. And we know, as OKelly said, that our
State debt pile of 207bn, 102,000 per employee, is
easily the highest in Europe, by a mile. To be clear he
added: Its one of the highest ratios in the world.
Which may explain why so many people are finding it so
difficult to service 2007 mortgages with 2016 wages
(thats if theyre still lucky enough to be working).
Half the bloody economy is going into a black hole of debt
repayments. The average Irish worker took the hit for all
those bondholders and bankers who were allowed play
financial roulette with no consequences to themselves if
they lost everything.
Youd think the Government would feel a little bit sheepish
about that now, wouldnt you? Youd presume that they
would go a bit easy on Joe and Josephine Soap who were
unfortunate enough to need a mortgage when prices were
beyond the moon and the banks were happy to feed the
insanity? And youd certainly think that, in light of our
enormous State debt (remember, the highest in Europe,
by a mile!) Michael Noonan would still be in the market
for a bit of debt forgiveness from the EU or IMF.
Youd think, maybe theyd listen to people like those in
KEN SMOLLEN, THE HUB IRELAND BRIEF DEPUTIES AND
SENATORS AT LEINSTER HOUSE AT INVITATION OF SEAMUS
HEALY TD
CALL FOR STOP TO EVICTION PROCEEDINGS IN COURT,
FORMAL DECLARATION OF NATIONAL HOUSING
EMERGENCY BY DAIL
REPORT ON BRIEFING BY KEN SMOLLEN 18/05/2016
This evening is probably not a good time to write a report
on todays meeting with TDs, Senators and their
representatives in Leinster House as I usually need a day
to fully analyse any event or meeting.
However, it was an absolute pleasure to meet what I
would describe as three very like-minded people, namely
Byron, Adrienne and Martina in The Hub office in Dublin
before heading off to Leinster House. Adrienne had the job
of looking after callers to The Hub while Byron, Martina
and I went to the meeting where we first met Seamus
Healy TD and his brother Paddy. We had a cup of coffee in
the caf there while discussing the approach we would be
making when presenting our case on behalf of thousands
of people who find that they are the totally innocent
victims of the bailed out banks who want to legally steal
their family homes!
There were approx. 20 TDs present at different stages
during our presentation including the following Sean
Crowe, Eugene Murphy, Pat Buckley, Thomas Pringle, Dara
Calleary, Martin Ferris, Sean Fleming, Carol Nolan, Ann
Rabbitte, Eoin OBroin and others. Represented were
Richard Boyd Barrett and Joan Collins. Needless to say no
representative from either Fine Gael or the Labour Party
was there. It surprised me that not one representative of
the Independent Alliance made the effort either as all TDs
were invited there by Seamus Healy TD and by myself.
I began the presentation by describing to those present
what actually happens in the Eviction Courts and how
people are being treated in a shameful way in particular
by County Registrars. I described the intimidating
Ken
Claire Byrne Live on Housing and Homelessness
http://www.rte.ie//sh/claire-byrne-live30003252/10576915/
Listen to First 30 minutes on Housing and Homelessness
Unlike the lads on the Magic Bus, these are the numbers,
no one is smoking funny stuff, just seeing things clearly
through the haze of vested interests and inertia.
Problem solved.
take.
But still these people, in despair and anguish, are told, a
debt is a debt is a debt. They borrowed money from a
bank and they are therefore legally and morally bound to
pay it back. Unlike say, the well-heeled speculators who
found themselves in Nama.
Earlier this month, it was revealed by Michael Noonan that
Nama has written off debts totalling 1.5bn owed by just
80 debtors to the agency.
Noonan explained that the debt is only written off where
all of the underlying assets have been realised, there are
no further assets to be realised nor any additional
recourse available to Nama to recover borrowings from the
debtor.
Which is the same situation that would apply to most of
the ordinary people in unsustainable mortgage debt that I
have met up and down the country. And yet it doesnt.
Why one rule for one group and a much harsher one for
the other?
Because, bluntly, when debt is racked up by governments,
corporations, banks, or by privileged insiders, it can
always be renegotiated or written off. Thats how the
system works. Its only when debts are owed from the
poor to the rich that issues such as moral hazard are
introduced.
Only then does debt become a sacred obligation. Its a
way of keeping the cash/power flowing upwards. Its also a
way of keeping people in their assigned places.
In the past, precautions were taken to protect debtors
from unscrupulous lenders. Yet today it is creditors who
are protected at the expense of debtors, corporations at
the expense of citizens, banks at the expense of nations.
Theres no political will to solve this issue, said one man
The funds that have bought into the Irish commercial and
residential property market, mostly by way of buying loans
from State-owned institutions, will want to see big yields
on their investments, which in practice means squeezing
debtors hard.
The report entitled, From Puerto Rico to the Dublin
Docklands, Vulture Funds and Debt in Ireland and the
Global South, by the Debt and Development Coalition
Ireland (DDCI), said that while there is little research yet
available on the effect of vulture fund involvement in the
European property market, research from the US indicates
an increased likelihood of people being thrown out of their
homes.
DDCI is a coalition of Irish development, faith-based and
solidarity groups concerned about the effects of debt on
developing countries. It is chaired by Sorley McCaughey,
advocacy and policy officer with Christian Aid. The report
was written by Dr Michael Byrne of the UCD School of
Social Justice.
Distressed debt
Hedge funds or private equity funds that invest in
distressed debt vulture funds originally invested in
sovereign debt but since the financial crisis in 2008 have
moved into buying loans linked to the property market in
the US and Europe.
The Irish Government, according to the report, has
wholeheartedly embraced vulture funds and their entry
into the Irish market could not have occurred were it not
for two major public banking institutions, the National
Asset Management Agency (Nama), and the Irish Bank
Resolution Corporation (IBRC).
Nama is the public entity that acted as Irelands bad bank
for property loans issued by Irish banks, while the IBRC,
which is now in liquidation, took over the collapsed Anglo
Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide.
that at all.
Deputy Michael Noonan: There will be no political
interference with the banks. On the question of
repossessions, 207 houses were repossessed on foot of a
court order, which does not equate to the tens of
thousands of houses sometimes mentioned in
commentary. There are 121,000 restructured mortgages
on private dwellings, with a success rate of 86.6%. That
means the arrangements stick in just under 87% of cases.
The problem is being solved progressively. I appreciate it is
very hard on people and I can appreciate that people who
lost their jobs do not have money. I also appreciate the
concerns and how upset people are. In a very extreme
situation, the issue is being handled reasonably well by
the banks
on the Constitution
Edmund Honohan
Master of the High Court
PUBLISHED03/04/2016 | 02:30
Sunday Indepenent
In an open letter to Alan Kelly, the environment minister,
the Master of the High Court Edmund Honohan says the
Constitution cannot be used as cover for political inaction
on the housing crisis
Dear Minister Kelly,
It is appropriate that you have, in this centenary year,
called for a debate about property rights in the
Constitution. Faced with repeated assertions about how
the right to property is legally watertight, politicians need
to recover control which they have ceded to the lawyers.
To do so they need to understand that the position is a lot
clearer than they have been led to believe.
Echoes of 1916: The Constitution in effect provides that
the State may expropriate private property if the
Oireachtas decides that to do so is for the common
good. Road widening is a good example.
Option A. At the moment there are long waiting lists for
housing and the private rental market is unable to provide
dwellings at affordable rents.
Consequently, if the Oireachtas is of the view that the
State should itself (or its local authorities) provide public
housing in the Common Good, the State can (and
probably, legally, should) decide not to wait the two/three
years needed to build social housing but instead to
immediately acquire houses now in private hands.
If the owners of these refuse to sell, acquisition can be by
compulsory purchase with full compensation assessed by
the arbitrator.
It so happens that there is a stock of such housing which
financial institution.
The financial institutions have all now basically all sold off
their loans and Nama is selling off the balance. All of those
loans have gone basically to these venture capital funds.
Its a problem thats been created, in particular, Namas
desire to do away with Nama, to be able to say Namas
now gone, isnt that great, but what youve really done is
transferred the whole stock of development land and a
considerable number of private residential properties, that
may be rented or may not be rented, into the hands of
people outside the country.
High Court Master, Edmund Honahan, urges State to
nationalise repossessed homes
The Master of the High Court has called on the
Government to nationalise repossessed homes and buyto-lets that banks have sold to speculators and investment
trusts and use them as social housing.
http://www.independent.ie/business/personalfinance/property-mortgages/high-court-master-urgesstate-to-nationalise-repossessed-homes-34282536.html
Homelessness is an Emergency-Minister
BUT GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO EVICT FAMILIES
THROUGH BANKS IT OWNS
Noonan Pic
Its no Joke But More Tommy Cooper than Penn and Teller!
Irish Times Report on Dil Discussion Further Down
REPOSSESSIONS: NOONANS MASTER CLASSPaddy Healy
SPINNING TO MISLEAD ON REPOSSESSIONS IN THE DIL!
It is No Joke but Tommy Cooper Strikes Again!
Q1
Q1
up for privatisation
Mr Noonan also tries to give the impression that he has no
power to give instructions to state owned banks.
He says: There is a relationship framework, signed by my
predecessors in office, with the banks and the essential
component is that the political side will not interfere in
commercial decisions
Many listening may have got the impression that Mr
Noonan had no power to instruct the government owned
banks. The old omission trick! Mr Noonan omitted the
words voluntary from voluntary relationship
framework -And he blames his predecessors-Fianna
Fil- as well!
The truth is that Mr Noonan can withdraw from the
relationship framework at any time. He has taken a
political decision to continue to honour it-and to allow the
banks to evict Irish families!
He then drags up the notion that stopping state owned
banks from evicting people would lead to people applying
to their local TD for a loan and that the notion of state
owned and directed banks was preposterous! Of course
there have been state owned banks in Ireland for decades
and there have been such in other European countries for
even longer. There are well tried mechanisms for dealing
with the problem of people applying to politicians for
loans.
Noonan uses the image to cover up the responsibility of
the government for evicting people on the one hand and
extorting money to pay off international lenders from
mortgage holders and small businesses on the other..
Pontius Pilate Lives!!!
Mortgage Arrears Problem is Being Solved ProgressivelyNoonan
Noonan gives the impression that the mortgage arrears
52
other
314
Q3 (July to September)
41
188
142
Q3 Central Bank
207 (properties)were
repossessed on foot of a court order.
Q1,Q2,Q3
199
758
1088
131
Ireland
Inquiry on legality of womans detention for contempt
ordered
Claire Knowles jailed over contempt of direction to
hand over possession of home to bank
aIrish Timesbout 4 hours ago Updated: about 3 hours ago
Mary Carolan
A High Court judge has directed an inquiry into the legality
of the detention inLimerick Prison of a woman for
contempt of a Circuit Court order directing she hand over
possession of her home to a bank.
Ben Gilroy, of Direct Democracy Ireland, applied on
Wednesday to Mr JusticeMax Barrett for the inquiry
following the imprisonment the previous day ofClaire
Knowles (56), who lives with her son at Castlejayne,
Glanmire, Cork.
During the application, Mr Gilroy said there was huge
confusion over possession orders made by the Circuit
Court, an apparent reference to conflicting High Court
decisions of November and May last concerning the Circuit
Courts jurisdiction to hear certain repossession cases.
Suffered difficulties
He said Ms Knowles suffered difficulties including
depression after the possession order was made in January
2014, and the Master of the High Court later agreed to
extend time for her to appeal that possession order.
Ms Knowles has no recollection of getting a letter of
demand of November 2009 and there were issues about a
signature on that, he added.
In an affidavit, Mr Gilroy said he is a friend of Ms Knowles.
Shameful
Dublin Simon has described the figures as unacceptable
and shameful, while Focus Ireland said they showed
Government action has so far failed to halt the constant
flow of families becoming homeless.
Sam McGuinness, Dublin Simon chief executive, said he
was alarmed at the numbers. With no measures to stop
the ever rising flow of people into homelessness over the
past year, we are now faced with the very shameful
situation where 1,425 children are forced to lay their head
in inadequate accommodation, scared and vulnerable,
without a safe home to look to this Christmas.
He said rent certainty measures announced by the
Government this week were inadequate, as rents
remained unaffordable for the poorest families dependent
on rent supplement.
Mike Allen, director of advocacy with Focus Ireland, said
the plan to freeze rents for two years was welcome but
added a rise in rent supplement levels was necessary to
keep poorer families in their homes.
Cumulative impact
The families which became homeless in October did so
primarily as a result of the cumulative effects of rising
rents over the last two years, linked to a freeze in rent
supplement, said Mr Allen.
Even if the Governments package does has the effect of
slowing down rents it will make no difference to the
families who will continue to lose their homes because of
the cumulative impact of rent rises over the last two years
while the Government took no action.
A spokeswoman for the DRHE, which manages
homelessness services in the capital, said month-onmonth the provision of emergency accommodation for
families was being increased.
This means that the average Dublin renter, who had been
paying 1,275 a month for a house or 1,152 for an
apartment in the summer of 2014, is now paying 1,387
for a house and 1,260 for an apartment. Rents for houses
outside Dublin increased from 656 to 695 in the year,
and for apartments from 623 to 660.
Why has this happened? Its a simple equation of supply
and demand. To give the short version of the housing
boom and bust: we spent a few years building too many
houses (more than 93,000 in 2006), many of them in the
wrong places, then spent a few years building far too few
(8,301 homes in 2013) anywhere.
Things improved a little last year: 11,016 homes were
completed, but thats fewer than the number the year
records began, 1970, when 13,887 houses were built. The
11,016 built last year are just over half what the Housing
Agency says is the minimum needed to meet demand.
Theres an inevitable trickledown effect. Without enough
homes for sale, would-be buyers keep renting. More
people renting in a market with fewer homes pushes up
rents. More people renting who in a normal market would
have the money to buy pushes it up even further.
Real solution
At the end of the chain are people who cant afford to rent
anywhere, and for whom social housing isnt available.
The only real solution is to build more. Construction 2020,
published in May 2014, was the Governments first
response to this need. To a large degree it was a strategy
for strategies, recommending the setting up of taskforces
and working groups.
The recently announced Budget 2016 has more solid
housing-construction measures. Four thousand houses are
to be provided next year under the first phase of an
initiative to build 20,000 homes on sites controlled by the
2015 irishtimes.com
Fintan OToole: Opposition to social housing is matter of
ideology not economics
realise that the State could have - probably should have bought up this distressed housing stock at the time, at
knock-down prices, instead of losing them to the
unregulated and sometimes unaccountable private
investment funds. Indeed, it may not be too late to do so
via compulsory acquisition legislation."
The retired couple, Patrick and Bridget McGeeney, bought
an investment property in Ballybofey, Co Donegal, but
later fell into arrears. Having refused an offer for 90,000,
the bank sold the property last year for 60,800. The
couple's mortgage account was credited with 52,575,
after receivers' fees of 8,225 were deducted. Danske Bank
sued the couple for the remainder of their debt. However,
the McGeeneys claim the bank sold the property for less
than market value as part of a bulk sale to Finsbury Circle
Nominee Ltd, a fund set up by Davy Stockbrokers on
behalf of a client.
In his judgement, Mr Honohan found the couple had
several lines of defence to advance against the bank. He
questioned the role of receivers in the case and, in general,
said they should be subject to state regulation.
He raised questions as to how the 60,800 price for the
property was arrived at. He said the fundamental issue
may be "what is the evidence that such was the price
actually paid by the new owners and how was the
particular price identified?" and whether the "whole
process" of pricing the portfolio was a "sham exercise".
In comparing the transaction with the Maple 10 deal, Mr
Honohan said: "Furthermore, when the sale is by a
receiver with power of sale and the purchaser has all the
appearance of a tenderer pre-selected by the mort- gagee,
we have all the hallmarks of a Maple 10 golden circle."
He pointed to a "strong legal case" of liability to be shared
by the bank and the receiver "if the sale price knowingly
undervalues the security property".
A spokesperson for Danske Bank said it does not comment
on individual cases.
As Master of the High Court, Mr Honohan is not a judge
EMAIL
PUBLISHED
06/10/2016
1
Challenge: Simon Coveney. Photo: Colin O'Riordan
EMAIL
PUBLISHED
11/10/2016
1
Housing Minister Simon Coveney. Photo: Tom Burke
1
Simon Coveney wants scheme to encourage construction. Photo:
Steve Humphreys
The problem is there is precious little for sale in the newhomes category anywhere in the country.
The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland
(CPA Ireland) has also expressed concern that talented
Irish people living abroad will not be able to avail of the
new scheme.
This means a significant cohort of people - returning
emigrants - will miss out.
However, one good aspect of the scheme is that the tax
rebate may be subject to a clawback.
Revenue said the property must be occupied by the firsttime buyer for five years from the date that it is habitable.
http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/propertymortgages/number-of-new-homes-being-built-jumps-by-30pc-in-last-year35116559.html
Noonan told of
investment 'risk' if tax
laws change
Dearbhail McDonald Twitter
EMAIL
PUBLISHED
10/10/2016
1
Finance Minister Michael Noonan has been warned of the risk of a
flight of international capital. Photo: Frank McGrath
1
Finance Minister Michael Noonan at RTE Radio Studios to answer
the public's questions on Budget 2017 on Today with Sean
O'Rourke Picture: PA
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/noonan-ignored-youngpeople-now-its-time-we-started-to-get-really-angry-35126822.html
system.
But what we have at the moment is blatantly unfair. It's
right and proper those earning less should pay less in tax,
but we've taken that to degrees that no other OECD
country has.
During the madness of the Celtic Tiger years, 42pc of
workers were entirely outside the tax net. When the public
finances collapsed and the USC was introduced, that figure
dropped to 12pc.
But in recent years, with political parties intent on
repeating the catastrophic error of narrowing the tax base,
it has risen back to 29pc - and it will be higher after the
upcoming Budget.
Half the workforce now account for 96pc of the tax take.
That's simply too big a burden on too few.
The direct result of that is somebody earning 75,000 in
Ireland today pays more tax than their counterpart in
Sweden and still has to endure vastly inferior public
services.
The quality of our public services is more akin to the UK,
where somebody on that salary pays a whopping 6,136
less in tax.
So who's representing those who earn 35,000-75,000 the squeezed middle? Not Michel Martin and Fianna Fil.
Asked about the Institute of Taxation report last week,
Martin stuck rigidly to the mantra about USC being the
"focus", not the low income levels at which workers hit the
top rate of tax.
Not Fine Gael either. All their emphasis is on USC too. Leo
Varadkar was last week heralding Fine Gael's record of
removing half a million workers from the USC net.
When it was put to him that this inevitably meant an
increased burden for middle-income workers, he didn't
demur but said his priority was the lower paid. It seems a
laudable position at first glance. But the Institute of
Taxation report demonstrates that the low paid already
pay the lowest tax in the OECD.
It's the middle income earners that are getting screwed.
the EU, the implications for its economy, for Sterling, for
the single market and, crucially, for the border that divides
the north and south of this island, it is wise to proceed
cautiously.
"For this reason, I am proposing to the house that this
year's Budget will be largely neutral - no tax cuts or
spending increases beyond upholding the existing level of
services.
"And we will maintain that approach until we know the
full implications of Brexit on our economy and we can be
certain that any 'fiscal space' is sustainable. A Cheann
Comhairle, I commend this (non) Budget to the house".
What would the reaction be to such a speech? There would
be hell to pay on the floor of the Dil. Various vested
interests would go berserk. It would probably cause an
election. But it might also hugely appeal to a large chunk
of voters. Those voters who don't have short memories and
who are rightly cynical about auction politics and where
it'll take us. It might even prove to be an electoral masterstroke.
But, much more important than the politics of it, it would
be the right thing to do. For the first time arguably ever, a
government would be taking difficult decisions before a
crisis hit, as opposed to after it - when we always take
them.
Imagine a government actually saying: "I won't spend
money because I think there's a chance, due to Brexit, that
we'll have to take that money back again in the next few
years. Governments here have done that too often in the
past and we owe it to the Irish people not to keep
repeating that mistake."
Now that really would be 'new politics'.
Sadly, there's not the remotest possibility of it happening.
Get ready for one more spin of the yo-yo.
The common view in and around Leinster House is that
Kenny knows, and accepts, his tenure is drawing to a close
and will go at a time of his choosing, sometime next
spring.
But what has that ever really delivered for Ireland? Merkel
isn't exactly the clubbable type and is scrupulously
straight. She might like and respect Kenny, but the
Chancellor will do what's best for Germany and the wider
EU in that order.
And, while the process of Brexit will certainly begin next
spring, it could go on for years. It would arguably be far
better to have a new leader here from the beginning of the
process - indeed, a younger, more dynamic leadership
than currently offered by Kenny and Michael Noonan,
with their combined age of 138.
The Government's response since the Brexit referendum
result has been somewhat underwhelming, even if you
would hope and imagine there's more going on behind the
scenes than we know about. With so many political miles
on the clock for Kenny and Noonan, the case for a
generation change at the top is strong.
But, valid as these significant caveats may be, it's entirely
possible that a 'continuity and stability in the national
interest' narrative might raise enough question marks to
head off any move against Kenny - should he decide to stay
on.
Particularly if enough Fine Gael TDs decide that not
'rocking the boat' will ensure the 32nd Dil continues and
a potential general election is deferred for as long as
possible.
A lot, of course, will depend on how Fine Gael is going in
the opinion polls. There's also the possibility that, if it
becomes obvious that Kenny is going nowhere, it will
finally flush out one of the leadership contenders to
challenge him. But there is absolutely no sign of that
happening at the moment. As pointed out here before,
there's nobody at the top of Fine Gael with the kind of
cojones demonstrated a quarter of a century ago by Albert
Reynolds when he decided he had enough of Charlie
Haughey.
None of those mooted to succeed the current Taoiseach
appear remotely as unrelenting and hard-boiled as Kenny.
This week's Budget was the third in a row in which the public purse
strings were loosened. Budget 2017 also joins its immediate
predecessors in having a last minute ramping up of the amounts
splashed in new spending and tax cuts.
piper should call the tune. The loss to the individual would be relatively
small as over 50% of it would have gone in tax anyway. It would have
such a sobering effect on the government if massively supported that it
would likely not need to go on too long.
Just an idea from a fed up private sector taxpayer.
The growing fury in the private sector over the public sector pay and
mad-cap pensions is not going away.
It is increasingly leading to the attitude that to let the gravy train
continue is the only way to deal with the powerful entrenched vested
interest of the public service and that this will allow it to consume itself.
The ultimate driving force behind our politics is to satisfy this massive
economic burden and as such a major chunk of our taxes and much of
our regulation is geared towards satisfying this imperative. Much of the
rest (tax revenue) is to allow the politicians buy the votes of social
welfare recipients by steadily increasing their allowances and benefits to
the exclusion of much encouragement to return to the work force.
Will it take a Trump or Le Pen or Putin etc. etc...to bring change because
ultimately the reason for these individuals is the lack of faith in and the
growing frustration with those in power .
ums it up really well, people are turning that direction die to the failure
of mainstream politics. This week the FG/FF budget rewarded those
who contribute least with increases & a Christmas bonus for doing
nothing while those paying the highest burden of tax got nothing, a
complete incentive for those doing nothing to continue that road &
those who got 0.5% off Usc for paying for everything question whether
it's worth getting up every day to go to work. Michael Noonan & Michael
Mc Grath were talking about holding the centre of Irish politics, well the
people who voted for ye will no longer do so as Ye proved once again
this week that the do nothing/ get everything brigade are of more
importance. We need a chsnge of tack or else a revolt, I'm not going to
continue paying for the Dossers who are on here laughing & mocking
people. How long will things continue if the Dossers get more than the
workers, well Mc Grath & Noonan ?
We have an open and vulnerable economy by EU standards but our
budget deficit is going down. This development is positive. If public
sector expenditure, including wages, can be adequately controlled, then
our future looks reasonable. The difficulty is to convince Irish people
that continuing budget deficits do not create real growth. We are
spending far too much on public services resulting in heavy levels of
taxation on the average industrial worker. Comparisons with other EU
countries tend to paint false pictures as their economies are
considerably larger and more diverse. The simple fact is that Ireland is
not a large wealthy state with deep pockets. We are an island off an
island off Europe. Irish people should never forget this point. The
current fall in the value of the UK currency shows the real situation
facing Ireland. We should not be too pessimistic but the swell heads of
past years should be left in the past.
The public/private sector divide has never been greater. 2500 per
person extra in public sector per annum, equates to 50 per week in
comparison to about 3 per week for an average private sector worker.
This is despite enhanced job security and extortionate pension pots at
the end of our careers which are financed by the private sector.
Until there is a government that doesn't wilt on every public sector
strike notice, the gap will widen even though it's unsustainable.
Increased spending in public sector services was essentially public
sector pay increases.
Country
France
Malta
Spain
Greece
Poland
Croatia
Turkey
Latvia
Albania
Russia
Price
7.00
5.30
4.91
3.96
3.56
3.38
3.23
3.13
2.12
1.61
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H3A6g9hu9k
Policing Authority
Sep 29, 2016
Clare Daly speaking at the Dil Justice Committee on the role
of the Policing Authority.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UVzqLkbEi0
By Ciara Quinn
BELFAST International Airport is being used as a landing point for
US military flights.
Sinn Fin MLA for South Antrim, Declan Kearney, has said
questions must be answered by the airport as to the purpose of the
flights which people living under the flight path have reported to the
Andersonstown News.
The paper reported back in April how sightings of US Air Force
military transport planes had been seen taking off and landing
regularly at Aldergrove.
Speaking this week one resident said: Im concerned because of
the wars that are taking place around the Middle-East.
Are we now part of the supply chain in troops and munitions? Also
are any of the munitions going to Tel Aviv, which will then be
dropped on Gaza?
Finally how many are rendition flights and who at Stormont signed
off on USAF using Aldergrove?
Sinn Fin South Antrim MLA Declan Kearney has raised his
concerns about the flights.
A number of local people living in the vicinity of the airport have
raised concerns with my office regarding the on-going US military
flights entering at and leaving Belfast International Airport, said Mr
Kearney. Given the on-going humanitarian crises in Syria and
throughout the Middle-East and the role of the US Air Force as a
protagonist in these conflicts, it is essential that local airspace is
not being misused to facilitate and exacerbate these terrible
events.
In recent years another Irish airport at Shannon has been used for
illegal rendition flights from the Middle-East to Guantanamo Bay.
It is imperative that local airspace and the International Airport
itself are not now used for similar reasons. I will be contacting
airport management to seek answers.
He added: Sinn Fin will oppose all attempts to use the north, or
anywhere else on this island as a stepping stone for the
furtherance of conflict and war.
West Belfast-born peace activist Niall Farrell who has campaigned
against the use of Shannon Airport by the USAir Force said what
is needed is a peace movement north and south to keep an eye
on this.
It doesnt surprise me really that this is happening as there are US
warplanes flying into Prestwick in Scotland and different other
airports in Britain, he said.
I think it is great people are observing what is taking place. What
we really need is for people to keep a look-out for exactly what
type of planes are travelling through Aldergrove. Links should be
made with the peace monitors at Shannon airport, Shannonwatch.
Remaining vigilant you get to see what the warmongers are up to.
Shannon, for example, is now basically a US military base which
over the past 15 years has seen millions of armed soldiers,
weaponry and even kidnapped prisoners being transported
through this supposedly neutral part of our country. he said.
A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport said: We can
confirm that we receive military flight, however, due to security
considerations we are unable to give any further information.
Good piece from the Belfast Media Group about the use of
Belfast Aldergrove airport by the US military.
"West Belfast-born peace activist Niall Farrell who has
campaigned against the use of Shannon Airport by the US
Air Force said what is needed is a peace movement north
and south to keep an eye on this.
It doesnt surprise me really that this is happening as
there are US warplanes flying into Prestwick in Scotland
and different other airports in Britain, he said.
I think it is great people are observing what is taking
place. What we really need is for people to keep a look-out
for exactly what type of planes are travelling through
Aldergrove. Links should be made with the peace monitors
at Shannon airport, Shannonwatch.
its own adequate to such a task. Here's what the Minister said in
reply to a parliamentary question from Clare on the matter (PQ
24502/16 answered 16 Sept 2016):
"It is normal procedure for military pilots, including those of our own
Air Corps, to conduct landings at airfields outside of their home
country. Aviation, whether civil or military, is an international
activity and aviation procedures, rules and practices can vary from
country to country. Familiarisation with different local procedures,
geography and meteorological conditions contributes to greater
safety."
So the US military want their pilots to be familiar with the
procedures and geography of Shannon. Why is that, given that we
are supposed to be a neutral country?
Clare Daly also asked several questions about the landings of US
military planes at Shannon in June of this year, and the exercises or
operations the aircraft were involved in. She did so because at that
time NATO has begun its Anaconda-16 war game, involving the
largest assembly of foreign forces in Poland since World War II. It
was possible that the increased number of US military flights
through Shannon was linked to this.
Here's what the Minister had to say in response (PQ 24502/16
answered 16 Sept 2016):
"Arrangements under which permission is granted for military
aircraft, including US military aircraft, to land at Irish airports are
governed by strict conditions. These include stipulations that the
aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives
and must not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights
in question must not form part of military exercises or operations.
The countries of origin noted on requests for US military aircraft to
land in Shannon Airport during the month of June were as follows:
Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Jordan,
Norway, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and USA.
The countries of destination noted on requests for US military
aircraft to land in Shannon Airport during the month of June were as
follows: Canada, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Italy,
Jordan, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom
and USA.
In deciding upon requests for permission for foreign military aircraft
to land at Irish airports, each request is examined to ensure that it
conforms to the criteria I have outlined above. I am satisfied that
the US authorities are fully aware of the need to comply with the
strict conditions attaching to permission for military aircraft to land
at Irish airports, including that the flights in question must not form
part of military exercises or operations."
Note that the Minister did not say that the US were fully compliant
with the requirement that their planes be unarmed, not involved in
military operations, etc when landing in Ireland. He just said that
they were fully aware of the need to be compliant. Thats quite
a different thing.
http://www.shannonwatch.org/sites/shannonwatch.org/files
/ShannonFactsheet.pdf
http://www.shannonwatch.org/sites/shan
nonwatch.org/files/docs/Shannon_Poster_
2015.pdf
Video Recordings of
Demonstration to End US Military
Use of Shannon (Sunday 9th
October 2016)
Wed, 12/10/2016 - 23:15 by shannonwatch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=OYNxgrGxfN4
Shannonwatch Protest Against the US
Military Use of Shannon Airport, 9-102016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=VCu7YxS85NM
A Dutch-led investigation has concluded that a Buk SA-11 surfaceto-air missile system was used to shoot down a Malaysia Airlines
plane over Ukraine two years ago, killing all 298 on board. It was
transported from Russia at the request of Russian-backed
separatists and returned to Russia the same night.
Shannonwatch condemns all such reckless attacks on civilians in
war zones.
There is no justification for the type of action that resulted in such
unnecessary loss of life. It is unacceptable, even the laws of war
emphasise military necessity (an attack or action must be intended
to help in the defeat of the enemy), distinction (belligerents must
distinguish between combatants and civilians) and
proportionality (belligerents must make sure that the harm caused
to civilians is not excessive in relation to the military advantage
expected by an attack.
The investigation into the shooting down of the Malaysian Airline
plane largely confirmed the Russian government's role not only in
the deployment of the missile system but also in the subsequent
cover-up.
Shannonwatch is also critical of the deliberate or reckless bombing
of areas that contain civilians in Syria and in other areas of the
Middle East. It is particularly inappropriate and shameful that four of
the UN Security Council Permanent Members, the United States,
Russia, Britain and France been involved in acts of military
aggression, in contravention of the United Nations Charter, that
have resulted in the killing and seriously injuring hundreds and
possibly thousands of civilians in Syria.
A Dutch-led investigation has concluded that a Buk SA-11 surfaceto-air missile system was used to shoot down a Malaysia Airlines
plane over Ukraine two years ago, killing all 298 on board. It was
transported from Russia at the request of Russian-backed
separatists and returned to Russia the same night.
Shannonwatch condemns all such reckless attacks on civilians in
war zones.
There is no justification for the type of action that resulted in such
unnecessary loss of life. It is unacceptable, even the laws of war
emphasise military necessity (an attack or action must be intended
to help in the defeat of the enemy), distinction (belligerents must
distinguish between combatants and civilians) and
proportionality (belligerents must make sure that the harm caused
to civilians is not excessive in relation to the military advantage
expected by an attack.
The investigation into the shooting down of the Malaysian Airline
plane largely confirmed the Russian government's role not only in
the deployment of the missile system but also in the subsequent
cover-up.
Shannonwatch is also critical of the deliberate or reckless bombing
of areas that contain civilians in Syria and in other areas of the
Middle East. It is particularly inappropriate and shameful that four of
the UN Security Council Permanent Members, the United States,
Russia, Britain and France been involved in acts of military
aggression, in contravention of the United Nations Charter, that
have resulted in the killing and seriously injuring hundreds and
possibly thousands of civilians in Syria.
mutually reinforcing.
Are these nice words enough to create and maintain international
peace? The UN has arguably been putting the cart before the horse
by highlighting and prioritising development over peace.
How can we have "sustainable development" or any type of
development apart from exploitation in the Middle East, especially in
countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen, when these
countries have been virtually destroyed by unjustified wars that are
ongoing, causing enormous suffering, deaths and refugee crises?
The primary objective of the United Nations is to create and
maintain international peace. It has failed catastrophically to
achieve this objective, especially since the end of the Cold War,
partly because it has not been allowed to create peace by its five
permanent members of the UN Security Council, China, USA, Russia,
Britain and France, who have placed themselves above the
constraints of the UN and have been riding roughshod over
international laws in their own perceived national interests. Peace
must be created first by ending these wars before any sustainable
development will be possible.
Ireland since the 1950s had been doing our bit for international
peace by our commitment to UN peacekeeping and maintaining a
policy of positive neutrality. However, this was virtually abandoned
since 2001 when successive Irish Governments allowed US military
to transit through Shannon airport on their way to make wars of
aggression on other sovereign members of the United Nations in
clear breach of the UN Charter, and in the process our Irish
Governments have been in clear breach of our obligations as a
neutral state.
This year Veterans for Peace Ireland invite you, as an individual Irish
citizen, and other peace activists, peace groups, and faith based
groups, to participate in a peace vigil outside the US Embassy in
Ballsbridge, Dublin from 1pm to 1.30 pm on Wednesday 21st
September, International Day of Peace, and then to walk from there
to the Department of Foreign Affairs at Iveagh House, St Stephens
Green. Like the UN, our Department of Foreign Affairs (now being
called the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) has abandoned
much of its historical primary role of promoting and protecting Irish
sovereignty and neutrality, and supporting genuine international
peace, in favour of paying homage to Mammon God of money, and
prioritising trade over human life and human rights. We would ask
you to bring along a few appropriate peace banners, and bring along
an apple or two, to eat or share, as a symbol of peace and justice,
as distinct from those rotten apples that promote wars and
economic injustice and exploitation.
For more information please contact Veterans for Peace Ireland
members Edward Horgan 085-8519623 or Domhnall MacCionnaith,
087-2884494.
be requested.
Judge Zaidan refused an adjournment.
He said: "I have adjourned people who have been absent
before and then they don't turn up and they are blaming
everyone. I have stopped that to protect everyone, why
should she be exempt?"
A bench-warrant was issued for her arrest.
Ms Daly has been an arch critic of Garda Commissioner
Noirin O'Sullivan and her court appearance came just 24
hours after the two women squared off at the Oireachtas
Justice Committee.
Bench warrant
issued for arrest of
TD Clare Daly
Updated / Oct. 13, 2016
Clare Daly attended the court but left when she saw a
large number of people waiting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=9Pd7y7a0mmg&feature=youtu.be&pl
atform=hootsuite
"As the employer" why don't this TD tell this bitch that the
Taxpayer is her employer, everyone knows how corrupt the
Garda are but are afraid to speak out.
Court case
Wallace and Daly were told they faced the
prospect of jail terms after declaring they
would not pay fines of 4,000 imposed on
them by a judge in Ennis in April.
The two TDs were found guilty of breaching
airport regulations when entering a
restricted area at Shannon on 22 July 2014
and each fined 2,000. Both said they would
not pay.
Speaking to RT Radio 1s Drivetime from
outside Limerick Prison earlier evening,
Wallace said he was not kept in a cell but in a
room in the facility for a number of hours.
Nothing [happened] really, he said. I was
just taken in for a few hours and they told
me I was being let go. Its called temporary
release, as far as I know
http://www.thejournal.ie/shannon-fineclare-daly-jail-2493371-Dec2015/
Appearing before the Oireachtas Justice Committee,
Garda Commissioner Nirn O'Sulivan tells TD Mick
Wallace she did not promote her bridesmaid, as he
claims, "because I didn't have a bridesmaid".
https://www.facebook.com/rtenews/video
s/
Statements on the O'Higgins Commission of
Inquiry
May 26, 2016
Clare tells the Minister that 'it is way past
time' for Garda Commissioner Nirn
O'Sullivan to go, saying:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=SED9UH9j5BM
WHISTLEBLOWERS - "CHARACTER
ASSASSINATED" BY GARDAI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Wrwgs-xcdWo
MEDIA CARTEL FINALLY TURNS ON
"INJUSTICE" MINISTER
May 18, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=5es1PH4uBHE
Budget speech 2016
Oct 12, 2016
Clare Daly TD speaking on the 2016 budget.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=utaF8lLPESA&feature=youtu.be
Justice Committee
Oct 5, 2016
Clare Daly TD discussing aspects of prisoner's rights on the
justice committee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P2Fc482n-k
FALSE
Garda Commissioner Nirn OSullivan told
an Oireachtas committee that she was not
aware of any campaign to target a
whistleblower.
At the end of a combative meeting between underfire Garda Commissioner Noirin O Sullivan, the
politician-cum-garda arch critic and his
Oireachtas justice committee colleagues were
asked to step outside for a formal photo to mark
the visit of their latest guest.
Despite being the bane of each others lives for the
best part of two years due to whistleblower
revelations, the high-profile pair stood together as
they smiled politely for the cameras.
But while the moment allowed a semblance of
peace to descend on the bloodied battleground of
the committee room floor which had for three
hours seen TDs lobbed grenades bounce off the
commissioners legal brick wall, it also underlined
a central point to the ongoing crisis.
Both sides of the whistle-blower controversy now
have a photo to remember the moment the
irresistible force of Mr Wallace met the
immovable object of the commissioner. The only
issue that differs is the frame they put around the
Mick Wallace
Other than the last point Ms OSullivan
reveled in noting she had no bridesmaid
the commissioner defended herself by
providing small, general details but noting
she cannot discuss protected disclosure
claims.
No knowledge of alleged campaigns. Not
privy to information. And not going
anywhere, she said, before later stating a
systems culture comes from the tone at the
top.
For Mick Wallace, the meeting ended with
yet more proof nothing has changed in the
garda.
For Nirn OSullivan, the same meeting
ended with yet more proof politicians are
wrongly rushing to judge.
As they posed beside each other after the
stand-off, the different images of the same
event undoubtedly played on their minds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drv5ZDtyN-8
sight
Nirn OSullivans performance yesterday did
nothing to quell doubts about whether any
confidence can be vested in the running of the
force, writes Michael Clifford.
Keith Harrison
The TD merely wanted to know how the
commissioner could be unaware of allegations of
constant harassment of Harrison when the
officers solicitor had written to OSullivan 14
times in the last two years.
Each individual experience is so different that
what we believe is an expert can help us improve
our internal structures, she replied to Daly at one
point.
That was typical of the management speak
engaged by the commissioner when she was asked
about harassment and bullying of anybody willing
It is not known what role, if any, the wellpublicised low pay of garda graduates who start
Michel Martin
The Fianna Fil leader, who has led on the issue of
Garda malpractice, said the Garda Sochna
Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) needs greater
powers and legislative change and asked Taoiseach
Enda Kenny if this would be granted.
It is at a very high level of wrongdoing, if I can put
it that way to the Taoiseach, without pre-empting
any inquiry, said Mr Martin. It seems to be
something that is of the most gravest import, if it is
true. Disclosures have been made and I believe it is
extremely serious. I would ask if legislation in this
area will be brought forward?
Mr Kenny said he had not seen the correspondence
but admitted it may well be there are matters here
beyond what would be a normal GSOC analysis or
investigation.
He said Ms Fitzgerald is considering the report and
will decide what the best thing to do is following
examination of the information.
Mr Kenny said he was aware of the report in this
Frances Fitzgerald
It is believed the disclosures claim that the
purpose of the campaign was to discredit the
whistleblower to the extent of destroying his
Dave Taylor.
Its been reported that Supt Taylor has admitted he
was central to a smear campaign orchestrated by
Garda management to destroy Sgt McCabes name
and character, and that former garda commissioner
Martin Callinan knew what was happening, as did
his successor Noirin OSullivan, who was then a
deputy commissioner.
Supt Taylor has alleged the campaign included
text messages; the creation of an intelligence
file on Sgt McCabe; the monitoring of his
activities on Pulse, and making false
allegations about him to both members of
the media and politicians.
Its also been repaired that Supt Taylor has claimed
there is evidence of the campaign on his phone, or
phones, that were subsequently seized as part of a
separate investigation.
Readers will also recall that on January 24, 2014
six days before Sgt McCabe gave testimony in
private to the Public Accounts Committee Fianna
Fail TD John McGuinness met then Garda
Commissioner Martin Callinan in the car park of
Bewleys Hotel on the Naas Road for a secret
meeting, at which Mr Callinan told Mr McGuinness
that Sgt McCabe could not be trusted.
Its been reported that it was Mr Callinan who
sought the meeting with Mr McGuinness.
Speaking of the meeting, Mr McGuinness told the
Dail:
The Garda Commissioner confided in me in a car
park on the Naas Road that Garda McCabe was
not to be trusted and there were serious issues
about him.
Maurice McCabe
Yo may recall the two recent protected disclosures
sent to the Tanaiste and Minister for Justice
Frances Fitzgerald.
They were reportedly sent by Sgt Maurice McCabe
and Supt Dave Taylor, former head of the Garda
Press Office with Supt Taylor stating he was
instrumental in the campaign to discredit Sgt
McCabe.
Yesterday, Philip Ryan, on Independent.ie, reported
on a meeting that took place between the two gardai
in which Supt Taylor told Sgt McCabe about the
campaign.
Mr Ryan reported:
Taylor said three phones, which are
currently in garda custody as part of the
investigation into leaks, held the evidence
to back up his claims.
He said the phones contained chains of text
October 13, 16
9km/h fugitive Clare Daly TD
Have you seen this woman?
Do not approach her.
Shes upset the establishment.
Inspector Mel Smyth outlined that Deputy Daly,
originally from Newbridge, has no previous
convictions.
Defence Solicitor, Cairbre Finan, told the court
Athy man
facing
allegations of
taking
69,000 from
Department of
Social Welfare
Naas judge
slams high
numbers of
drivers on
mobile phones
Thursday 13th of October 2016
Man facing
charges of
raping woman
in Co Kildare
in Naas Court
today
Minister's
wages to be
frozen at
157K per
year following
public outrage
first time, noticed the massive iceberg that had struck the
ship.
The giant neon sign atop the iceberg that read
POLITICAL CORRUPTION finally shocked him out of
his denial as to who was responsible for the catastrophe.
You Maniacs! Youve sunk the country, Damn you! God
damn you all to hell the befuddled journalist howled as he
pounded the heaving deck with his fist.
ooo
At 2016 the steerage passengers finally broke down the
doors to the bridge. What they witnessed shocked even the
most hardened of water protesters.
Captain Kenny was engaged in a vicious fistfight with
wannabe captain Martin for control of the ships wheel.
Ah ha, crowed Martin: You thought the people had
thrown us overboard, well.were baaaccck. Now step
aside, its our turn to steer.
Feck off said Captain Kenny punching Martin in the eye:
We got more votes than you, so there.
Yes replied Martin but you ignored the dangers posed by
water and now youre sinking.
Nearby, a group of establishment journalists led by John
Downing of Independent Newspapers huddled together
insanely muttering the same mantra over and over again:
This has nothing to do with water; this has nothing to do
with the peoples anger at political corruption.
Everything will be all right so long as we keep assuring
ourselves that Sinn Fein is to blame for everything.
Amid the bedlam the government broadcaster RTE
launched its latest deny reality TV show Lets Get Back
To The Good Old days presented by soccer pundit Eamon
Dunphy and featuring such stars as Mary Coughlan, Alan
Dukes and Noel Dempsey.
But by now the people had seen enough. Brushing aside
the huddled group of journalists they rushed towards the
bickering twosome at the wheel of state intent on taking
control themselves.
And so, as we celebrate the centenary of the rebellion that
Follow
Simon Coveney
This is a good guide to how targeted support for first time
buyers will work. It's a temporary measure for 3 years
8 8 Retweets6 6 likes
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingn
ews/ireland/fianna-fail-to-abstain-fromvote-on-new-help-to-buy-scheme759132.html
11 October 2016
This is the face of an asshole that doesn't give a shit about the old
the sick the needy the homeless, but gives himself and his corrupt
cronies a 5,000 pay increase.
LEAP Ireland
We are greatly saddened to hear of the death of Martin
Naughton. His life impacted so many others. His death is a
huge loss.
6:06 PM - 13 Oct 2016 Louth, Ireland, Ireland
2 2 Retweets1 1 like
6 6 Retweets3 3 likes
"His struggle for equality in Ireland and internationally has
been an inspiration.
"Martin Naughton will be deeply missed not just by his
sisters and family but also by his wide circle of friends and
supporters."
Follow
President of Ireland
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/irelan
d/disability-rights-campaigner-martin-naughtondies-aged-62-759238.html
Statement by
President Michael D.
Higgins on the
death of disability
rights activist Martin
Naughton
President Michael D. Higgins today, 13
October 2016, paid tribute to Disability
Rights activist Martin Naughton.
"It is with great sadness that I have learnt of
the death of Martin Naughton, disability
rights campaigner and indefatigable
advocate for human rights.
Martin Naughton gained widespread respect
through his lifelong campaign for the
inclusion of people living with disabilities
and through his work with countless
statutory and non-governmental
organisations, including the Independent
Living movement, the Disability Federation
of Ireland, iseanna Tacaochta, Disability
Options and Vantastic.
Having experienced in his early years the
once widespread practice of
institutionalised living, he became a
formidable and tireless campaigner for the
1,675.88.
Receipts furnished
Miscalculations
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/donoh
ue-to-ask-ministers-to-forego-12000-pay-boost-afterpublic-backlash-759123.html
likely to use family members for childcare and not State-registered crches - Minister
Zappone (pictured) said she was working on
proposals to help those families too.
Teresa Heeney of Early Childhood Ireland
said if the subsidy scheme did change, it
would need to be carefully inspected.
"I dont think it makes sense for the State to
hand over taxpayers' money to something
over which there is no monitoring
mechanism," she said.
"If we want (this system), there needs to be a
monitoring infrastructure."
12 October 2016
Hot off of the press: just got an email
and the contents are quite mindblowing:
Can this work for us: yes, start asking
the question.:::
Below are excerpts from an incredibly
important (and well buried) UK
government document which I
discovered, the document in question
revisions.
The transfer of the intellectual property did,
however, indirectly lead to the exchequer
having a much-enlarged pool of potential
pre-tax corporate profits from which to
collect corporate taxes.
The Irish Examiner reported last month that
the 2015 GDP revisions were predominantly
driven by the changes by Apple to its
international tax arrangements, as it
relocated huge amounts of intellectual
property rights in Ireland for the first time.
It is well known that a handful of
multinationals account for the bulk of
corporate tax receipts. The amounts that
multinationals, including Apple, pay in
corporate taxes to the State remains under
wraps.
The public deserves more information, as
the contributions made by a handful of large
corporations to funding the State is now on a
significant scale. Yesterday, Mr Noonan
announced the appointment of UCC
economist Seamus Coffey to write a report
on our tax regime.
The aim of the report appears to be to
anticipate any potholes in the Irish
corporate tax regime, the Knowledge
Development Box in particular, which is the
lure for many multinationals to deepen or
locate resources here. The report will not
touch on the 12.5% corporate tax rate, which
Mr Noonan said is secure.
The controversies must be avoided if Ireland
http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/eu/irelandfights-proposed-eu-pesticides-ban-35118813.html
1
Fianna Fil Finance spokesman Michael McGrath Photo: Gareth
Chaney/Collins
Like it or lump it, Fianna Fil has had a big and sometimes
very noisy input into this Budget. There is every chance
that their spokespeople - Michael McGrath on finance,
Dara Calleary on public spending, and Willie O'Dea on
social welfare - will have their dabs all over tomorrow's
Budget.
So, it falls to Mr McGrath to formulate the party's headline
response. In the past, he would stand up and give it a bit of
more-in-sorrow-than-anger condemnation. It would be a
tale of "missed opportunities" and an all-round
assessment of the other crowd's efforts as "poor fare."
This time, it's a little trickier. But odds are that the Cork
chartered accountant will stand up and praise the
considerable Fianna Fil chunks in Budget 2017, and try to
remind everyone that, only for them, the document's main
thrust would be about giving posher folk tax cuts at the
cost of improved public services.
It will be no surprise if he reminds us that more money is
needed for third-level education, especially the Institutes
of Technology. There could well be a swipe at the low level
of capital investment.
He will then lament the lack of other Fianna Fil initiatives
in the Budget. Cue some nasty swipes at the "anti-business
notions" propounded by Sinn Fin and parties of the left,
notably the Anti- Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit.
Mr McGrath will garnish it all with some reminders that
these groupings "ran away" when it came to taking
responsibility for government formation earlier this year.
Add some references to Spain, without a government and
facing into its third general election in 12 months, and you
have the basic McGrath script.
You see, Fianna Fil remains in the business of staying in
business and driving on. 'Brexit' changed the public mood.
'New politics' is for the academics - it does not entirely
help with gaining traction in the next election.
Or, does it? Well, let's not run too far ahead of things.
The perennial political question remains: "How long can
this Government last?" One of the best ways of answering