Latest news with #Heneghan
Irish Examiner
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
'Government expects support of Regional Independents in key votes'
The Government expects all Regional Independent TDs to support it during votes of confidence and while passing budgets, public expenditure minister Jack Chambers has said. Mr Chambers said there is an ongoing commitment from Regional Independent TDs to back the Government, after both Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole voted for a Sinn Féin bill on Wednesday night. The two independent TDs backed Sinn Féin's legislation that would prohibit the Central Bank from handling Israeli government bonds. 'Obviously they made individual decisions yesterday evening as non-aligned TDs in the Dáil, but they've also outlined their commitment to continue to support the Government,' Mr Chambers said. On Wednesday, Mr Heneghan confirmed he voted against the Government, saying in a statement that it was about 'standing up for international law and basic human rights". 'Matters of conscience' "I'm fully committed to the programme for government but, as an Independent TD, I reserve the right to act on matters of conscience. The situation is urgent, and Ireland must show leadership,' Mr Heneghan said. Pressed what sanction the two TDs would face for voting against the Government, Mr Chambers said it was 'not about punishment'. 'We obviously have a whip system within the party groups, within Fianna Fáil, within Fine Gael and indeed ministers and ministers of state, our office holders within the Government. 'We have an ongoing commitment I think, and we've heard from the TDs in the last 24 hours around continued support for the Government. They've been generally supportive across many areas of legislation.' Mr Chambers said it reflected previous debate on non-aligned TDs and that Regional Independent TDs would be able to make up their mind on an 'individual basis'. However, when pressed if he expected the Regional Independents to back the Government during key votes such as budgets or confidence motions, Mr Chambers said that he did. 'We've had a very constructive working engagement with all of the Independent TDs and the non-aligned TDs who are members of Government and I expect that to continue in the period ahead," he said. 'On a vote of confidence or a budgetary matter, if they're continuing to support the Government as it is, that's obviously a more significant vote. I'd expect them, in light of the statement after the vote last evening, that they'll continue to support the Government.'
RTÉ News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Two TDs reiterate support for Govt after backing SF bill
The two Independent TDs who voted against the Government in the Dáil last night have insisted that they will continue to support the Coalition in the time ahead. Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole backed a Sinn Féin bill that would have prevented the Irish Central Bank from approving the prospectus which allows Israel to sell bonds in the European Union. The Government won the vote by a margin of 87 votes to 75. But two Independent TDs, who backed the Governenment in every other vote in the 34th Dáil and who were part of the government formation talks, sided with the Opposition last night. Mr Heneghan said it was a matter of conscience and Ireland should not facilitate the sale of bonds that help fund the devastation in Gaza. Meath East TD Gillian Toole cited the lack of a detailed briefing from the Government on the impact the Sinn Féin bill would have on EU Law. The Government stated the bill was unworkable and not in compliance with EU law. Mr Heneghan and Ms Toole have said they will continue to support the Coalition overall in the time ahead. However, their vote illustrates that the Government is coming under increasing pressure to take furher action against Israel. The Taoiseach told the Dáil yesterday that the most effective response to what is happening in Gaza is to persuade people in the EU and the US to pull their support from the state of Israel because of its actions.
Irish Examiner
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Independent TD votes against Government to back Sinn Féin bill on Israeli government bonds
Independent TD Barry Heneghan has voted against the Government, in the first departure since the formation of the Coalition. Mr Heneghan voted in line with Sinn Féin, backing the party's legislation seeking to prohibit the Central Bank from dealing in Israeli government bonds. In a statement, Mr Heneghan defended his decision, saying it was about "standing up for international law and basic human rights". 'I'm voting for the bill because Ireland shouldn't facilitate the sale of bonds that help fund the devastation in Gaza," Mr Heneghan said. "This is about standing up for international law and basic human rights. "I'm fully committed to the Programme for Government, but as an Independent TD, I reserve the right to act on matters of conscience. The situation is urgent, and Ireland must show leadership." This is the first time a Regional Independent TD has voted against the Government since the formation of the Coalition. However, the Government still won the vote and the Sinn Féin legislation will not progress any further. After the result was confirmed, Sinn Féin TDs in the chamber held up white paper signs calling for the Government to "ban Israeli bonds". Read More Israeli government hits back as international pressure over Gaza mounts
The Irish Sun
25-04-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Major boost for thousands of Irish as Revolut to launch game-changing new service in MONTHS
REVOLUT is set to launch a game-changing new service for Irish customers in just months. The company is working towards a soft launch of Irish mortgages before a full roll-out at the end of the year. Advertisement 2 Revolut may soon offer mortgages in Ireland Credit: Getty Images - Getty The neobank, with 50 million customers across the globe, aims to help people 'get more from their money'. With over three million customers in The digital bank has been testing out the market and has issued some home loans in They plan initially to start offering Irish home Advertisement READ MORE ON MONEY Revolut Europe Chief Executive, Joe Heneghan, told 'We think the mortgage process that customers go through at the moment [generally] is unwieldy and can be made a lot slicker.' Three Irish banks made up 92 per cent of €12.6billion of mortgages issued in Ireland in 2024. Mr Heneghan explained the banking firm may 'explore' using brokers in the future. Advertisement Most read in Money He also hinted that Revolut would compete on price. The news comes at a time when around a third of all the children in Ireland have a Revolut under 18 account. Watch the video to see how Ali got the farmer to pay off her mortgage Revolut chiefs expect to have onboarded a total of half a million Irish under-18s by the summer with new and innovative features set to further entice parents. Head of Product, Revolut <18 at Revolut, Carlos Spada, said: 'This feature not only helps to alleviate some of the financial pressure on parents but it also equips youngsters with essential financial literacy skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. Advertisement "No matter the sum, whether it's weekly 'pocket money' or funds to serve children for later in life, this really helps.' There are no account fees for the Revolut <18 app itself and children also get a personalised card. They can then link up to Apple Pay or Google Pay on their smartphones. General Manager at Revolut Bank - Ireland Branch, Malcolm Craig said: 'This is yet another example of Revolut having a positive impact on the Irish market — this time for the benefit of children and their parents, many of whom already entrust Revolut with building their own savings balances.' Advertisement As well as allowing children to budget and track their spending in real time, the Revolut <18 app also sends parents an instant notification every time their child uses their card. He added: 'As always, we've delivered this product a little differently to the rest with interest applied daily to help children recognise the value of compound interest.' 2 About a third of all the children in Ireland have a Revolut under 18 account Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Irish Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Revolut to start offering mortgages to Irish customers as early as this year
Financial tech company Revolut could start offering mortgages to Irish users as soon as the end of this year in a major boost for prospective homeowners and mortgage switchers. Revolut has long made known its intention to enter the Irish mortgage market in its quest to become a one-stop financial services provider — or a 'super app' — going beyond its current offerings of payments services, crypto and stock trading and savings accounts. At the end of last year, Revolut, which has more than three million customers in Ireland, confirmed plans to launch its mortgage product in Lithuania "followed by Ireland and France in 2025". "The goal is to offer a fully digital mortgage product that is the fastest on the market, aiming to issue instant approval in principle and final offer in one business day subject to asset valuation and any necessary checks," Revolut announced at the company's The Revolutionaries event in November. Speaking to the Irish Times, Joe Heneghan, chief executive of Revolut Europe, said that the company expects to soft launch mortgages in Ireland as soon as the third quarter of this year for testing, before launching altogether toward the end of 2025. 'We think the mortgage process that customers go through at the moment [generally] is unwieldy and can be made a lot slicker,' Mr Heneghan told the newspaper. Last year, Mr Heneghan said that the company's IT capability will be able to 'make the customer journey a lot faster and a lot less onerous for the consumer' when compared to applying for a mortgage with a traditional Irish bank. Revolut co-founder Nikolay Storonsky has previously said that customers will soon be able to apply for mortgages through the Revolut app, adding that the process would be much quicker than applying for a mortgage with a traditional bank. 'We will definitely do mortgages for consumers,' he told the Irish Independent's Big Tech Show podcast back in 2022. 'Because when I look at all the mortgage processes, it can take one to two months. At best, it's seven days. It's all quite 'legacy'.' Outlining how a Revolut mortgage would work, Storonsky explained: 'It could be one of two models, or a combination. 'The first one is a mortgage financed by us as a bank. Or it could be like a mortgage introduction. But ultimately what we want to build is a frictionless experience that is 100 per cent digital, so that within the app you apply for the mortgage, select the house that you want to buy and then be emailed at the same time. "Everything would be instant and automated.'
