Results 27,381-27,400 of 34,872 for speaker:Seán Fleming
- Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: I thought you were asking me to finish.
- Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: My apologies. Amendment No. 99 is somewhat related. It deals with school transport and the intention is to tidy up matters in one of the Schedules. The same issue is involved.
- Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: I thank the Minister for clarifying the issue. I had made a note to ask how it dovetails with Ervia, the new fancy name for Bord Gáis, of which Irish Water is a subsidiary. Bord Gáis Éireann is an exempt agency. Schedule I of the Act deals with exempt agencies. I refer to page 75 of the Act. Irish Water is a subsidiary of an exempt agency. The Minister has already agreed...
- Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: The Minister said the High Court stated there is an administrative arrangement between the Department of Education and Skills and Bus Éireann, as opposed to a contract. Will the Minister explain what this entails? I have learned something new today and it is a good day when one learns something new. Why can the Department of Social Protection not have a similar administrative...
- Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: I appreciate the Minister's comments. He stated that under section 8 (11) each Minister of the Government shall, in accordance with the code of practice made under section 48, ensure that the relevant measures are put in place to deal with the code of practice. Unfortunately, and I will not unnecessarily labour the point, while section 8 speaks of "shall", section 48, when it deals with...
- Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: The Minister has gone a lot of the way. At the end of this process, I am sure there will be an issue or two, but generally, out of all the sections in the legislation, it will have fairly substantial cross-party support. My only other issue is directly related to this, but the Minister cannot do much about it. It refers to the question of data. The Minister represents Wexford which, like...
- Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: A number of the amendments in this group are in my name. As the Minister knows, we discussed some of them on Committee Stage. Some of them are not quite new. Amendment No. 37 seeks to "make provision for the establishment of a database to include all information released under the Act" and to provide that "such database shall be made available to the public" to easily obtain. I am asking...
- Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: While there are some problems in this legislation, it has improved since Second Stage, on Committee Stage, as the Minister has taken on board some of our suggestions. He is one of the few Ministers to have taken on board the substance of the majority of the issues we raised, with one exception. Search and retrieval fees, Irish Water, Eirgrid, and bringing a draft order before the House are...
- Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: 94. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the panel for clerical officers in the public service established in 2007-08, the number of persons employed from this panel on a region basis and in particular the numbers that were employed in the Carlow-Kilkenny area and the Laois-Offaly-Westmeath area and the numbers of persons with disabilities who were on this...
- Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: 95. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of persons expected to be employed arising from the advertising of positions for clerical officers in the public service; the expected numbers to be employed in each of the regions throughout the country; the time scale for same; the number that are expected to be recruited in 2014, 2015 and subsequent years; and if he will...
- Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff Recruitment (16 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: 185. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of positions available in his Department for the position of serologists; the number of these positions that are expected to be filled in 2014, 2015 and subsequent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31811/14]
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: Most people have a view on whether tax relief on pensions should be reduced to 20%. Some support it while others do not. Do the different organisations have a view on that? If we reduced it, while there might be a reduced cost to the taxpayer, there might also be a reduction in contributions through AVCs, and it would even hit public servants who get the benefit of their superannuation...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: What is IBEC's view?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: What is the view of Chambers Ireland?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: Would that be by way of credit or something?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: I ask each of the witnesses to outline whether they believe VAT reductions would help consumption. Does each of the organisations generally agree with a VAT reduction in key targeted areas, if it helps consumption?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: Most of the submissions refer to VAT rates. The organisations generally favour some reductions in certain areas.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: Another issue has been mentioned is the issue of procurement, on which we have not made much progress. The Government has its office of procurement. I believe we are at least 5% behind other EU countries in terms of contracts that are given to native businesses - businesses that are registered here in Ireland. Between capital and current expenditure, the Government spends about €13...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: People will be surprised that Chambers Ireland is seeking a reduction in capital gains tax to 20%. I ask others to comment on whether they agree. I know it had been 20% and has been crawling up substantially in recent years. I would like those from the different organisations to comment. My final question is probably more about inequity than anything else. Do the witnesses have a view...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)
Seán Fleming: What about CGT?