Results 22,461-22,480 of 23,109 for speaker:Paddy Burke

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: I congratulate Commissioner Phil Hogan on his nomination for reappointment to the European Commission. No doubt we will see him get a big portfolio in the coming reshuffle of Commissioners. We wish him well in that. The better the portfolio, the better for Ireland. Commissioner Hogan will have the interests of Ireland at heart. I wish to be associated with the comments that have been...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: I wonder how a situation such as that outlined in section 6 might arise. How would it work in reality? When the manager of the local authority brings forward his estimates for the end of the financial year or the year going forward and the councillors debate the estimates or the budget and decide to increase or reduce the rate by a certain amount, would the direction be given at that stage?...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: What the Minister of State is really saying is that the councillors set the budget and if the manager is not happy with it, he notifies the Department or the Minister. The Minister then issues a direction and the county manager implements it.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: That is the same thing.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: I agree with Senator Lawlor. This is a very important section. I totally agree with the section but I would be happier if the variation or the direction the Minister of State may give was tied to something. If it was tied to inflation, as Senator Lawlor stated, I would fully agree with that. There might be 5% in one local authority area and 6% in another. As has been stated, there are...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: My questions are on section 9 and the abatement of rates as well as section 15 and the waiver. Are they both the same? Will the Minister of State outline the difference between abatement and a waiver? This is an important section. My local authority introduced an 85% waiver. For a closed property, the local authority charges rates at 15% of the value. Is that a waiver or abatement?

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: Previously, if a premises was not occupied, then zero in rates would have been due. Obviously, rates would be due but the collection would be zero and they would have been written off at the end of the year by the council or the manager. How does it operate under this section? A person could be letting a property. It might be let for two or three months of the year. There might be change...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: Does this section cover where a property would be de-rated?Some properties that are vacant are currently rateable but many such properties in rural areas will never open for business again. Does the section cover de-rating?

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: Must an application for abatement be made every year? Will that be covered in the regulations?

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the announcement that the Minister made on Second Stage yesterday to the effect that any councillor who wishes to work in an office providing a service to the public should have a rates-free property. I know the Minister is committed to delivering this and I welcome that too.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: Does Senator Norris have a different view as regards Senators?

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: When there is a revaluation of a county the Valuation Office issues the local authority with a global valuation certificate, with a new valuation for the whole county. However, I have been intrigued over the years by the fact that the valuation never changes. When new businesses start with huge rates, the valuations of other properties do not go down. In my county, the gas pipeline went...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: I want to ask the Minister of State about the local area development plans and economic and spatial strategies. We have seen a recent High Court decision regarding Barna in County Galway where the local area plan stated that the Barna population was now nearly 2,000 people. The plan was put in place in 2018. The projected population for 2021 was an additional 420 people. The councillors...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: Yes, that is a 20% increase. This was an application from a developer to build 190 to 200 units of housing. The judgment in the case, with which I have no dispute, said that this development would more than likely put the projected population of Barna over the projected 2,220 figure, and planning permission was refused. Councillors could set a local area plan by saying that they do not...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: My point is that I do not believe that the limiting factor should be a percentage. I do not know what kind of facilities or services Barna has but if it had a lot of services for roads, sewerage and water that could accommodate 1,000 or 2,000 extra people, why should the limiting factor be 20%, as probably was set two or three years ago? I believe that the upper figure should be limited or...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Motion for Earlier Signature (10 Jul 2019)

Paddy Burke: I move:That pursuant to subsection 2° of section 2 of Article 25 of the Constitution, Seanad Éireann concurs with the Government in a request to the President to sign the Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018 on a date which is earlier than the fifth day after the date on which the Bill shall have been presented to him. I wish the Minister of State well with the Bill....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Sep 2019)

Paddy Burke: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I wish to be associated with welcoming everybody back to this magnificent Chamber. I congratulate and thank everybody involved for the magnificent job they have done in refurbishing the House. I wish to add to the long list of names the Cathaoirleach outlined of those who were responsible for bringing the work to fruition. The former Ceann Comhairle, Deputy...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Paddy Burke: I, too, wish to raise a number of issues with the section. How does the State recover overpayments? I raised the issue of self-employed people, particularly sole traders, who laid off staff during the recession or had no choice but to close their businesses because they had failed and were then required to pay redundancy of two weeks per year to all staff. When a business was unable to...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Paddy Burke: This does not involve companies but sole traders who ceased trading or closed their businesses for one reason or another, whether they could not make a go of it or got into difficulty.The State stepped in and made redundancy payments. Ultimately, a person's estate will have to pay and that will involve selling a private dwelling house in most cases. It is very-----

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Paddy Burke: I know the Minister understands the situation. It is not just one or two cases; this happened to quite a number of sole traders during the recession.