Results 3,401-3,420 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy may be aware, the monthly Exchequer returns are available on my Department's website, as are my Department's receipts, expenditure and debt service profiles for 2006. The results for the first two months of 2006 confirm that the public finances remain sound. There was an Exchequer surplus of €2,415 million at end-February. Tax receipts to end-February at €7,310 million were...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: While the promotion of biofuels is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that in the Finance Bill 2006, which has just completed its passage through the Dáil and Seanad, I have provided for significant tax measures to promote biofuels in Ireland. The new large scale scheme of excise relief for...

Written Answers — Tax Clearance Certificates: Tax Clearance Certificates (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the issue of approximately 2.2 million individual tax credit certificates to PAYE customers reflecting the budget changes was completed at the end of February. The timescale for completion of the bulk issue this year was of the order of two to three weeks longer than usual. A dimension for 2006 was the new PAYE computer system put in place by...

Written Answers — Motor Vehicle Registration: Motor Vehicle Registration (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: With regard to car registration regulation, the Revenue Commissioners are the vehicle registration authority in the State. I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the owner-driver of a vehicle is responsible for ensuring that his or her vehicle registration plates comply with the law and it is an offence under section 139(1)(b) of the Finance Act 1992 to be in possession of a vehicle...

Written Answers — Freedom of Information: Freedom of Information (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 34, 50 and 69 together. I have seen the report of the Information Commissioner concerning non-disclosure provisions. The report was submitted to the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service as part of the process under section 32 of the Freedom of Information Acts whereby an authorised joint committee of both Houses of the Oireachtas is required...

Written Answers — Employment Levels: Employment Levels (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The CSO's most recent employment figures, taken from the quarterly national household survey, show that average employment in 2005 was 1,952,000 people. This was an increase of 87,000 jobs or 4.7% on 2004. The sectors making the greatest contribution to this increase were construction, up by 30,900 or 14.4%, financial and other business services, up by 18,500 or 7.7%, wholesale and retail...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: From the outset, the Government has made it clear that participation in the decentralisation programme is voluntary. Due to the nature of the programme, it is not possible at this stage to estimate the number of public servants who do not wish to relocate as individual circumstances are open to change and, therefore, figures can fluctuate. The picture will become clearer over the coming...

Written Answers — Public Service Contracts: Public Service Contracts (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: Public procurement guidelines issued by my Department require contracting authorities to ensure that tenderers have regard to minimum pay and other legally binding industrial or sectoral agreements when preparing tenders and that tender documents should have an appropriate reference to this. Regulations to transpose recently revised EU directives on public procurement currently being...

Written Answers — National Pension Reserve Fund: National Pension Reserve Fund (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission is independent of the Government in the exercise of its functions. Under the National Pensions Reserve Fund Act 2000, it controls and manages the fund with discretionary authority to determine and implement the fund's investment strategy. This strategy is based on a commercial investment mandate with the objective of securing the optimal return...

Written Answers — Mortgage Interest Rates: Mortgage Interest Rates (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: It would not be appropriate for me in my role as Minister for Finance to seek to promote one type of mortgage product ahead of another. As the Deputy will be aware, there is a high degree of competition in the Irish mortgage credit market, providing a wide choice of competitively priced mortgage products to potential borrowers from several mortgage lenders. In this regard, I understand that...

Written Answers — Benchmarking Awards: Benchmarking Awards (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy is aware, a second benchmarking exercise is under way and is due to report in the second half of 2007. This process will be similar to the last exercise. It is difficult to anticipate the outcome at this stage but, from what we can see to date, there have been very few private sector settlements above the national agreement norms. There is nothing to suggest that the next...

Written Answers — Employment Levels: Employment Levels (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The policy on numbers employed in the public service has succeeded in cutting back on the rapid rise in public service employment in the period 1997 to 2002. This took place at a time of significant increases both in employment in the economy generally and in the population with the corresponding increased demand for public services. Numbers employed in the Civil Service, defence, local...

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The director general of the Central Statistics Office, CSO, has sole responsibility for and is independent in deciding the statistical methodology and professional standards to be used in compiling the consumer price index, CPI. The CPI is designed to measure the change in the average level of the prices paid by consumers for goods and services. It measures in index form the monthly changes...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the Office of Public Works has identified a suitable property solution for the accommodation of 50 Revenue staff due to decentralise to Listowel. The data from the central applications facility, CAF, published in September 2004 indicated that there were 49 applications for decentralisation to Listowel. To date, 48 people have accepted official...

Written Answers — Revenue Investigations: Revenue Investigations (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that their Ansbacher review team has been carrying out detailed investigations since October 1999. The investigation has essentially two elements — Ansbacher-type arrangements and other cases involving offshore funds and deposits. Revenue has advised that the review team has inquired into 289 cases and, to date, the team has finalised 202 cases. The...

Written Answers — State Airports: State Airports (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy may be aware, I have recently answered parliamentary questions on this issue, most recently on 21 March 2006 — Parliamentary Question No. 317 in response to Deputy Quinn — when I described the operations of customs staff at Shannon and Cork Airports in some detail based on information supplied by the Revenue Commissioners. While the Revenue Commissioners ended 24 hour...

Written Answers — Banking Sector Regulation: Banking Sector Regulation (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I am aware of the issue recently raised by the consumers association regarding personal loans. My function as the Minister for Finance in looking after the interests of the individual borrower is to provide an appropriate legislative framework for regulation of the financial services sector, one that is both comprehensive and robust. I am satisfied that on foot of the progress made over...

Written Answers — Special Savings Incentive Scheme: Special Savings Incentive Scheme (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: Domestic demand, including personal consumption, was the main driver of economic growth in 2005. In the budget 2006 forecasts, my Department forecast that personal consumption will continue to be a major driver of growth over the period 2006-08, supported by strong earnings and employment growth. The maturing of the SSIA accounts is expected to provide some impetus to consumption,...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I answered identical questions on 5 October 2005 and 28 February 2006 and informed the House then that, according to the Revenue Commissioners, the total tax debt outstanding at 31 March 2005 as reported in Revenue's annual report and in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General was €1.2 billion, not €2.5 billion as quoted by the Deputy. As with any tax system, there will always...

Written Answers — Partnership Agreements: Partnership Agreements (30 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: Talks on a new national partnership agreement to follow Sustaining Progress commenced recently and are ongoing. I am sure the Deputy will realise, therefore, that it would be imprudent to make any statement at this stage about any financial commitments which might arise in the context of a new agreement.