Results 4,321-4,340 of 7,975 for speaker:Joe Higgins

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Travel (21 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: That does not mean they should not pay corporation tax.

Order of Business (21 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: Over the past three or four weeks, I have asked the Taoiseach on a number of occasions about the privatisation of Coillte. In his latest reply, he did not give an indication of the timescale for a Government decision on this issue. I did not have the benefit of reading what he said in reply to me over the past few weeks but I thought he had indicated that an early decision was imminent....

Order of Business (21 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: The Taoiseach has no timescale.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Property Taxation Collection (21 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: 143. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of households broken down by local authority area that have currently registered for the local property tax; the total number of households broken down by local authority area targeted by the Local Government Management Authority for registration for the local property tax; if he will provide a breakdown of figures of those households that have...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Property Taxation Collection (21 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: 154. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide figures by local authority area for the registration of property tax; the number of registrations that have been multiple registrations by one home owner; the number of properties in total that have been registered that are owned by owners of multiple properties as opposed to single home owners; the number of registrations that have been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: 103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress his Department has made in eliminating the problem of work arising from his Department's school building project falling into the hands of the black economy as detailed in correspondence to him from a person (details supplied) [24675/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: 114. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made in eliminating the problem of work arising from his Department's school building project falling into the hands of the black economy as detailed in a letter to him from a person (details supplied) [24793/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: 104. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will respond positively to the calls of parents of children with Down syndrome to amend the Special Education Circular 02/05 to include Down syndrome as a low incidence disability and allocate maximum resource hours for children with Down syndrome. [24677/13]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Corruption (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: 201. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on allegations contained in correspondence (details supplied) sent to all Deputies alleging wrongdoing in County Mayo. [24679/13]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann Services (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: 272. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide figures comparing the State subvention to Bus Éireann with State subventions to coach services in other OECD countries. [24678/13]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: To be helpful, the quote was that the Clearing House Group and its sub-groups discussed financial transaction tax at 13 meetings in Government Buildings between October 2011 and May 2012.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: I accept that as a public servant Mr. Fraser does not make the policy but there is extreme concern among some Deputies who represent working class people about the IFSC Clearing House Group operation. One cannot describe it, as Mr. Fraser did, as normal industry-Government meetings and relationships. This is an unprecedented structured access by the biggest hitters in the financial markets...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: In regard to transparency then, the minutes give a very cursory glance at what has transpired. Does Mr. Fraser accept if there is to be real transparency, he would have to have the submissions and representations made by the financial industry players on this group in regard to critical issues like financial transaction tax and other issues that they would see as impacting on their profits?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: As a public servant, does Mr. Fraser see what we see? There is a huge disequilibrium. In his opening statement he cites the passing of the property tax legislation as one of the Department's achievements. It is mentioned in one of the Department's documents on the implementation of the programme for Government. Mr. Fraser has also said the Department is committed to building "a fairer...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: The point is that the law in this country and the governing ethos of this and previous Governments facilitate giant corporations such as Apple to be registered in such a way that they can play the game internationally and hide away tens of billions of euro which has been earned God knows where. According to agencies that deal with the poorest people on earth, whether in Africa, Asia or Latin...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: There is a new triangle consisting of Bermuda, Ireland and Amsterdam.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Strategy Statement 2011-2014 and IFSC Clearing House Group: Discussion with Department of the Taoiseach (22 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: Dublin is one point on the triangle, Amsterdam is another and Bermuda is the third. That is the triangle and the Government cannot escape by claiming the issue is not our corporation tax regime.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (23 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: 3. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his Department's intended schedule for the sale of State owned assets. [24938/13]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (23 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: I thought we had got a new recruit from an unlikely quarter, a Cheann Comhairle. The sale of any key infrastructure to transnational corporations on foot of the diktats of the troika to bail out bondholders and bankers is shameful. However, I will concentrate on Coillte and the proposed sale of forestry harvesting rights. The Minister stated he has got the report. Will he share with us...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (23 May 2013)

Joe Higgins: In the Minister's discussions with the troika on the sale of State assets, did the sale of Coillte feature? What was the outcome of the exchange? What is the attitude of the troika? If the Minister will not tell us what the report on Coillte states before it is presented to the Government, could he state whether his thinking has moved on over recent months in response to the very strong...