Results 2,421-2,440 of 27,019 for speaker:Michael Noonan

Written Answers — Financial Services Sector: Financial Services Sector (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: According to statistics published by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government on 1 June 2011, approximately 790,000 mortgages were approved by banks and building societies in Ireland between and including the years 2001 to 2010. This information relates to loans for the purpose of financing the purchase of a home (houses and apartments) including residential investment...

Written Answers — Financial Services Sector: Financial Services Sector (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: Each mortgage provider is responsible for evaluating the capacity of the borrower to manage and repay the loan and it would be normal that the employment status of the applicant would be one factor taken into account. The mortgage provider must have regard to the Central Bank's Consumer Protection Code (the Code) which is a set of general principles combined with more detailed requirements in...

Written Answers — Financial Services Sector: Financial Services Sector (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: I do not plan to introduce an independent appeals mechanism specifically for applicants who have been refused home mortgages by Irish banks. I believe that mortgage lending must be undertaken on a sustainable and prudential basis by financial institutions and conform fully with regulatory requirements both in relation to the financial institution itself and also the safeguarding of the...

Written Answers — EU-IMF Programme: EU-IMF Programme (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The assessment of the impact of changes in the interest margin on our EU loans is based on a number of assumptions about the level of the reduction, the date on which it applies and the amount of the loan to which it applies. Each of these elements has been changing in the past number of months. Because of this, the figures provided for any interest rate reduction are qualified as being...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: As the Deputy is aware, the case which he raises has been the subject of lengthy correspondence with my officials. The retiree concerned was informed in replies of 29th December 2010 and 4th January 2011 from my Department that there were no grounds for his retirement to be cancelled and for him to be reinstated, and the basis for the introduction of the Public Service Pension Reduction...

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The terms and conditions governing the appointment of the Chairperson of the National Asset Management Agency are as determined by the Minister in accordance with the relevant provisions of the National Asset Management Act 2009. The terms attaching to the present incumbent to the position are that his appointment is for a period of five years from 22 December 2009 at an annual fee of...

Written Answers — Public Service Remuneration: Public Service Remuneration (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The pay rates and expense allowances in respect of civil service grades, for which my Department is responsible, are publicly available for consultation on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's website (at www.per.gov.ie/pay-and-other-circulars) and the civil service personnel code website (www.personnelcode.gov.ie).

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that they have over 2,000 staff engaged in activities that are dedicated to target and confront non-compliance. These activities include audit assurance checks, anti-smuggling, investigations, prosecutions and anti avoidance. Revenue has close working relationships with other agencies, especially the Department of Social Protection, to support a...

Written Answers — EU-IMF Programme: EU-IMF Programme (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: Future disbursements are kept under constant review and are the subject of discussion in the quarterly reviews. Disbursements in each quarter can only take place after the IMF Executive Board, the Eurogroup and ECOFIN have approved the compliance reports prepared, respectively, by IMF Staff and the European Commission Services. The actual disbursements take place in the period following the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: In response to the Deputy's question, the Secretary General of the Department of Finance is a member of the Advisory Committee of the National Assets Management Agency but does not accept remuneration in respect of the position. In addition, the Secretary General was appointed to the Central Bank Commission in an ex-officio capacity and he also receives no fees in respect of this role. Both...

Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: Section 24 of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011, as passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas, provides for a situation where any doubt, question or dispute arises as to the Minister of the Government in whom any particular function is vested by virtue of this Act. The Ministers in this instance are the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform....

Written Answers — EU-IMF Programme: EU-IMF Programme (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 157 together. The position is the third quarterly review of the EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland will take place from the 6th to the 15th July 2011. It is my intention to meet with the troika delegation during the programme review. The review will comprise of a series of meetings to evaluate all the elements of the programme...

Written Answers — Banking Sector Regulation: Banking Sector Regulation (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The Deputy will be aware that the banking system restructuring plan creates capacity for the two Pillar Banks, Bank of Ireland and AIB, to provide lending in excess of €30 billion in the next three years. SME and new mortgage lending for these banks is expected to be in the range of €16-20bn over this period. In each bank, a team of senior managers will be dedicated to the task of...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The latest Quarterly National Household Survey data revealed that in seasonally adjusted terms there were 296,000 people unemployed in the first quarter of 2011, resulting in an unemployment rate of 14 per cent. The data also highlighted the volatile nature of quarterly Irish economic data. Reflecting this, my Department's labour market forecasts are based on annual averages rather than...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The Programme for Government provides for the sale of non-strategic assets up to a value of €2 billion to fund investment in key networks of the economy. This will occur when market conditions are right and when adequate regulatory structures have been established to protect consumer interests. Following publication of the Report of the Review Group on State Assets and Liabilities in April,...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The taxation of energy products is to a certain extent harmonized at EU level. Directive 2003/96/EC known as the Energy Tax Directive (ETD) refers. The current ETD provides for minimum excise rates of taxation for energy products based on the volume of a product released for consumption. Member States must respect the minimum rates and not tax products below those rates, but are free to set...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The Government has decided to introduce overarching legislation providing for good faith reporting and protected disclosure on a uniform basis for all sectors of the economy. The Government has also decided to expedite the preparation of this legislation and the necessary preparatory work on drafting the legislation has begun in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The draft...

Written Answers — Mortgage Arrears: Mortgage Arrears (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot comment on individual cases. The Deputy will be aware of the work of the Expert Group on Mortgage Arrears and Personal Debt which published its final Report last November. Since the publication of the Group's Report, the Central Bank has revised its Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears to reflect many of the Expert Group's recommendations including key...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently engaged in research and conducting trials with a number of major international ICT companies to determine Cloud Computing approaches appropriate for public service data and applications. That research is also examining commercial models to ensure that any adoption of Cloud Computing by public bodies provides compelling...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (5 Jul 2011)

Michael Noonan: The current arrangements in place regarding established civil servants wishing to take a career break in 2011 are set out in civil service circular no. 18/98 - Special leave without pay for career breaks and were amended in letter to Personnel Officers of 3 March 2008 - available on www.personnelcode.gov.ie. This scheme allows for established civil servants, who have satisfactorily completed...