Results 3,341-3,360 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Second Stage (4 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: I would make the point that from January, following the passage of this legislation, every worker in this country who pays income tax or the universal social charge, or both, will see an increase in his or her net take-home pay as a result of the Finance Bill. I am sure we can all welcome that. I commend the Bill to the House.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Funding (9 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: The cost of repairs to flood damaged properties would normally be covered by insurance taken out by individual property owners. There is no funding available from the Office of Public Works for this purpose. As regards the flooding in Ramelton it is a matter for Donegal County Council, in the first instance, to investigate and address flooding issues in the County. Ramelton was...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Public Works Properties (9 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: The planning process for relocation of the Dublin City Mortuary and the State Pathologist into refurbished premises at the former Whitehall Garda Station Dublin 9 has been completed. Tenders for the main works will be sought in early 2015 with appointment of the Contractor expected by end of Q1 2015. The works are programmed to take 9 months to complete with handover expected towards the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ordnance Survey Ireland Properties (9 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: Other than minimal fabric maintenance to arrest deterioration the Commissioners of Public Works are not aware of any plans by the Ordnance Survey Ireland to restore the house or of any proposed new use for the building.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Prevention Measures (9 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together. Arising from flood events in the area of Northlands Estate in Bettystown, Meath County Council submitted an application to the Office of Public Works (OPW) for funding to engage consultants to investigate the problem and bring forward proposals for mitigation measures. Funding was approved and the tendering process to procure...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Status (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: The representations referred to relate to proposals to address flooding in Raphoe, County Donegal. The delay in replying to the representations is regretted. The Office of Public Works received a draft Options Report from its consultant engineers in September 2014 outlining a suite of complementary mitigation measures to deal with flooding in the Raphoe. These comprise (a) measures to...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: I thank the Senator for tabling the recommendation and recognising the measures taken in the budget to alleviate the burden of the universal social charge on a number of workers. The enactment of the Bill will result in the addition of a further 80,000 people to the 330,000 people from whom the requirement to pay the universal social charge has been removed since 2011. I do not propose to...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: That is okay.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: From Brussels, anyway.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: I thank Senators Feargal Quinn and Katherine Zappone for tabling this recommendation. I know that recommendations are tabled in this House, but the concept is the same as amendments and I take them seriously. It has been useful to hear a wide range of views on this issue. Senator Feargal Quinn is correct that we must address the issue of pension scheme take-up. As Senator Aideen Hayden...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: I note Senator Zappone tells us she always does what Senator Quinn says and refers to Senator O'Brien as an expert in this field, which I am sure he is. I am not sure what weight she attaches to my words, but I will give it a go anyway. For the information of the House, because I think the information is useful, the average cost of the USC charge on PRSAs, in respect of the employer's...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: The universal social charge generates revenue of approximately €4.5 billion per annum. While I differ with Senator Bradford on his political commentary, as I am sure he will appreciate, I agree with much of his analysis of the burden of income tax. The greatest concern of the people I meet in my clinic and as I go about my daily life is not the name of a tax or the composition of the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: A substantial amount of analysis covering some of the groups to which the Senator refers has been published by the Department of Finance or is due to be published in the coming months by Departments or other stakeholders. A detailed distribution analysis was published by the Department of Finance in sections B1 to B26, inclusive, of this year's budget book. The analysis sets out the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: I thank Senator Reilly. This is an important matter that was raised with many Members in advance of the budget. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, considered the proposal for the introduction of a tax relief for graduate entry medicine loans in the context of the recent budget. He decided at this time that the tax system is not the appropriate way to address the affordability of...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: No.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: We might not have the debate on the budget completed by the spring, but-----

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: There will be no budget announced in the spring. We have factored into the annual budget how much we expect to spend and take in during the calendar year; therefore, we have forecasted the reduction we will make in the burden on the people. Everyone from the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste down within the Government has stated we hope and expect to be able to do more and target low and...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: In this recommendation, Senators Quinn and Zappone are seeking to extend the amendments made in section 19 of the Finance Bill relating to the National University of Ireland Galway to the broader university sector. However, the motivation behind such a wide-ranging extension of this provision is not clear to me. It is important to appreciate that the purpose of the amendments made in respect...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: To reiterate, the Revenue Commissioners made inquiries and have not found any evidence that it applies to any other institutions, but should that change it can be addressed in due course. As of now, however, there is no evidence to suggest that it applies.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2014)

Simon Harris: I thank the Senator for raising this. It is an important issue for him, Waterford and, indeed, all Members of the Oireachtas who live in cities which could be in line to benefit from the initiative. It was announced two years ago but it has taken some time to get European state aid approval. In fact, the passage of this Finance Bill is an important step in our application for European...