Results 2,321-2,340 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: While I am aware from media reports of the claim referred to by the Deputy, I am not aware of the basis of or the assumptions underpinning the claim and I can therefore offer no further comment on it. As the Deputy will be aware from previous statements, duplication of staff in Dublin and the new locations is not planned. The Government has always recognised that, in addition to the personnel...

Written Answers — Public Service Contracts: Public Service Contracts (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: Under public procurement law, contractors are required to comply with all existing employment-related legislation including the registered employment agreements, employment protection provisions and working conditions, applying under existing laws, regulations and legally binding registered collective agreements. Employment-related legislation is a matter in the first instance for the...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: There is a North-South dimension to the work of a number of areas in my Department. The lead North-South section in my Department is mainly involved in the process of agreeing corporate plans, business plans and annual budgets for North-South bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement. In co-operation with sponsor Departments, it is also involved in agreeing guidance for the bodies on...

Written Answers — Revenue Investigations: Revenue Investigations (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that arising from the clerical medical insurance-NIB inquiry, a total of 465 cases have been targeted for investigation. To date, 303 cases have been settled on payment of tax, interest and penalties amounting to €51.83 million. A further 119 cases have been finalised with no additional liability arising while the remaining 43 cases are the subject...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: From the outset, the Government has made it clear that participation in the decentralisation programme is voluntary. As people who have applied to decentralise continue to be transferred into decentralising organisations, the posts they vacate become available to those wishing to remain in Dublin. A number of people have already availed of such opportunities. It is hoped to extend these...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: The CSO's most recent employment figures, taken from the Quarterly National Household Survey, showed that there were 1,929,200 people employed in the second quarter of 2005. This was an annual increase of 93,000 jobs, or 5.1%. The sectors making the greatest contribution to this increase were construction, which was up by 36,400; and financial and other business services, which includes a...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: Following the Government's decision to decentralise 85 civil servants to Carrickmacross, the OPW assessed a number of proposals to provide a property solution at this location. A suitable property solution proposal from the local authority has been identified. The proposal envisages a mixed-use development on a site of approximately nine acres owned by Monaghan County Council. The local...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: In the period 2000 to 2004, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners has engaged the company referred to by the Deputy to undertake four assignments. Three involve the engagement of information technology professionals to develop and provide support for critical projects: integrated taxation services, ITS — the primary internal Revenue computer system; Revenue on-line service, ROS — the...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy is aware, I announced in my Budget Statement that my Department and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners are undertaking a detailed review of certain tax incentive schemes and tax exemptions in 2005. Two external consultancy firms have been examining the area-based and sectoral property tax incentive schemes. The review also involves the examination by my Department and the...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: The Revenue Commissioners' study, Effective tax rates of the top 400 earners: Report for the tax year 2001, was published by my Department in March of this year. I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that a study of the effective tax rates of the top 400 earners in 2002 is close to completion and will be published in the normal course.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 181 together. As I have already outlined to the House, the stallion stud fee exemption was introduced in Finance Act 1969 and amended in 1985. The stallion relief was included as part of annual reports on aid granted in Ireland to the agriculture sector sent by the Department of Agriculture to the Commission in 1982 and on a number of subsequent...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: When I published the 2005 expenditure Estimates in November 2004, I indicated that some €2.8 billion overall across Departments would be provided this year specifically for people with disabilities. This represented an increase of some €290 million, or 11%, on the 2004 figure. The €2.8 billion, which does not include spending on disabled persons who participate in and benefit from...

Written Answers — Construction Industry Contracts: Construction Industry Contracts (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: Consultation with the construction industry and the relevant professional bodies on a suite of draft new standard forms of contracts for construction and new terms of engagement for construction-related consultants took place from the end of July of this year until late October. During these extensive discussions, the views, comments and concerns of the construction industry and the...

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: All owner-occupiers are generally exempt from stamp duty on new houses where the property is 125 sq m or less. As the Deputy will be aware, the 2005 budget introduced a stamp duty relieving measure for first-time house purchasers who are owner-occupiers of second-hand houses by increasing the stamp duty exemption threshold for such purchasers from €190,500 to €317,500 and by having...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy may be aware, the end-October Exchequer returns are available on my Department's website. The results for the first ten months of 2005 indicate that the public finances remain in a sound position. Tax revenue, at €29.422 billion, is €1,240 million ahead of profile for the end of October. Year on year tax receipts were up 8.6% compared to the profiled increase of 4% to the...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I refer the Deputy to the long-standing practice of Ministers for Finance not to comment on what may or may not be contained in upcoming budgets. Any steps of the sort mentioned by the Deputy will be a matter for consideration in the context of the budget and Finance Bill.

Written Answers — Special Savings Incentive Scheme: Special Savings Incentive Scheme (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that, based on the analysis of the 2004 SSIA annual returns furnished by all qualifying savings managers, the total number of active accounts at 31 December 2004 was 1,094,294 and the average monthly subscription at that date was €175. As indicated in replies to previous parliamentary questions, it is not possible to give a definitive answer as to...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that about 10,000 notices of intention to make a disclosure were received from taxpayers or agents on their behalf, by the 23 May deadline. In some instances the notices were described as protective, with taxpayers needing to establish whether in fact any liabilities arose. Revenue was not in a position to make any estimate of the numbers in advance...

Written Answers — Tax Compliance: Tax Compliance (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I have been informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the tax compliance testing programme was rolled out in November 2004 and is used as a random case selection tool in 2005 to test compliance on a number of fronts. It tests payment compliance, filing compliance and reporting compliance. Some 400 cases were allocated to the various regions and to large cases division. Most of these audits...

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: Methodological issues are the responsibility of the director general of the Central Statistics Office, CSO, who is independent in deciding the statistical methodology and professional standards to be used in compiling price indices. The OECD analysis focuses primarily on the harmonised index of consumer prices. It should be noted, however, that the coverage of housing costs in the consumer...