Results 2,421-2,440 of 32,547 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: What is the estimate of how much of the gap will be closed when this Bill is enacted?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: Therefore, in our view, the gap in the legislation there is the main reason for the different rates of non-compliance between the UK and Ireland.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: Is it known how many such declarations have been made over the past year, for example?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: That figure includes the past owner declarations and the off the road declarations.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: It is a very high figure.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: Of course.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: What strikes me is the very high figure of just under 800,000. Over the four-year period, 1.5 million, 2.3 million and more than 3 million declarations were made by people saying that their cars were off the road.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: Is it known what proportion of people paid their arrears?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: Approximately one third paid their arrears. What was the figure for those less than one month to which Mr. McCarthy referred?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: Even with that explanation I still find it striking that the cumulative figure is so high at more than 3 million. In that particular year there were 780,000 declarations. Is it envisaged there will be a dramatic decrease in this number once the Bill is enacted?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: I refer to the statement of the Garda Commissioner, Mr. Callinan, about the current situation. Under the current system, the role of the Garda Síochána is to witness the declaration. It is not to inquire as to the reason for the request for an exemption but rather to witness the signature which is signed at the Garda station in front of a garda. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: Will the role of the Garda Síochána be changed under the new gapping legislation?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: I have one final question on this matter. Before the legislation is implemented, will the Department be doing any further research to create a new baseline for potential evasion so that as the Bill is implemented by the different bodies, we can understand the progress that is being made in dealing with potentially illegitimate declarations?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Mr. Enright for those answers. Can the Garda Commissioner explain the roll-out of the roster across An Garda Síochána?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: When the Commissioner says it is in pilot, does he mean that it has not been fully rolled out nationally or does he mean it has been rolled out nationally and he is still examining how it is doing?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: So it is in implementation everywhere at the moment?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: The Commissioner says it is cost neutral. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to go back to the earlier discussions we had on allowances when the Commissioner participated in a hearing at this committee. Does the Commissioner believe the new roster will have any knock-on impact on the use of allowances within the Garda force?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: When will the pilot period be coming to an end?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 26: Collection of Motor Taxation
Vote 20: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2013)

Paschal Donohoe: I want to ask one question on that and I am not being flippant at all. When is a pilot not a pilot? The committee has had many different hearings in this session regarding the importance of this roster and the impact it will make in the policing of our country. However, it is the first time I have heard it referred to as a pilot. I thought it had all happened and was in operation at the...