Results 5,361-5,380 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen
- Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: Public-private partnership arrangements, or PPPs, are a means of procurement for public investment projects and, as such, are subject to the requirements which apply to public capital investment generally. Under my Department's Capital Appraisal and PPP Guidelines, Departments and agencies are responsible for the appraisal and management of their projects, including PPPs. Value for Money...
- Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: While the promotion of biofuel is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that in Finance Act 2006 I provided for significant tax measures to promote biofuels in Ireland. This scheme, which received the necessary EU State Aid approval, commenced in November 2006 and will: provide for excise relief...
- Written Answers — Motor Taxation: Motor Taxation (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: The public consultation on options for revising the VRT system to take greater account of CO2 emissions was announced on Budget day and I invited interested parties to make submissions to my Department by 1 March 2007. A summary of a number of possible options which are under consideration by my Department was contained in the Budget 2007 documentation and a longer consultation document has...
- Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: The National Development Plan 2007-2013, which was launched on the 23rd of January last, sets out five investment Priorities: Economic Infrastructure; Enterprise, Science and Innovation; Human Capital; Social Infrastructure; and Social Inclusion. The investment under each of these five Priorities is in turn set out by Programme. The investment of â¬54.7 billion under the Economic...
- Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: I have not asked the Revenue Commissioners to conduct an estimate of the under-claiming of tax reliefs by taxpayers and I have no plans to do so. Revenue are very active in encouraging taxpayers to claim the correct reliefs and have taken a number of important initiatives in this regard during the last year. I too announced proposals in the Budget and recently in the Finance Bill to make it...
- Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: The answer to the Deputy's question is yes. The Government's approach to tax policy is set out in the Agreed Programme for Government and in recent Budgets and Finance Bills. In addition the Partnership Agreement, Towards 2016, states that the Government is committed to a taxation policy designed to maintain and strengthen the competitive position of the economy, foster improvements in...
- Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: Departments and implementing agencies are responsible for the appraisal of NDP projects and programmes in their own specific areas. It will be their responsibility to ensure that they have the necessary expertise to discharge their functions with regard to the proper and rigorous appraisal of projects and thus secure the best Value for Money. Within my own Department, the recently...
- Written Answers — Motor Taxation: Motor Taxation (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: The public consultation on options for revising the VRT system to take greater account of CO2 emissions was announced on Budget day and I invited interested parties to make submissions to my Department by 1 March 2007. A summary of a number of possible options which are under consideration by my Department was contained in the Budget 2007 documentation and a longer consultation document has...
- Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 192 together. A progress report by the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) was submitted to me and published on 4th October last. The Group reported that implementation of the Decentralisation Programme is progressing satisfactorily. Over ten thousand six hundred civil and public servants have applied to relocate under the Programme. Of...
- Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: Section 1025 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides for the taxation treatment of payments made under legally enforceable arrangements by one spouse of a marriage to the other spouse in consideration, or in consequence, of the annulment or dissolution of a marriage or where the couple are separated. Legally enforceable arrangements include court orders, arbitration awards and deeds of...
- Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: The stamp duty code provides assistance in a variety of ways to young families who are entering the property market for the first time. In the case of new houses bought by owner-occupiers, whether first-time buyers or others, there is no stamp duty where the overall size of the property does not exceed 125m2. First-time buyers of second-hand residential property are exempt from stamp duty...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: There are currently five civil servants (including support staff) employed in the Unit. Two more expenditure evaluators are expected to join the Unit in the near future following a recent open recruitment process. In addition, my Department currently has four participants in the Masters Programme in Policy Analysis delivered by the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) in association...
- Written Answers — Financial Services: Financial Services (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: I am aware of the report referred to and I understand that the findings of the report have been taken into account in a number of actions taken by the Financial Regulator. The Financial Regulator published a Consumer Protection Code in July 2006 which is due to be fully implemented in the coming months. Under the main principles of the Code regulated financial services firms are obliged to...
- Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that expenditure on advertising and publicity aimed at informing taxpayers of tax reliefs and entitlements and encouraging them to claim these comes from Revenue's general Advertising and Public Relations budget which in total amounted to â¬2,169,000 for 2006. Of this amount, â¬690,813, or approximately 32%, was spent on information and publicity...
- Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: In 2002, Exchequer tax receipts amounted to â¬29,294 million. Receipts in 2006 amounted to â¬45,539 million. This translates into an absolute increase of â¬161â4 billion or a percentage increase of 551â2 per cent since 2002. A large part of the increases in taxes in recent years came from the Revenue Commissioner's special investigations and also the continued strength of the...
- Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: The State encourages individuals to supplement the social welfare pension arrangements with private pension arrangements by offering tax relief on private pension provision. The tax relief arrangements for private pension provision are long-standing and have helped a significant proportion of the workforce to provide for supplementary pensions thus reducing the pressure on the Exchequer to...
- Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: First of all I would like to state the Government's full commitment to the Decentralisation Programme and to re-iterate that this Government's policy on the programme is unchanged. The National Spatial Strategy (NSS), which was launched in 2002, embodies a 20-year spatial framework to achieve more balanced regional development in Ireland. The vision underlying the NSS is a better balance of...
- Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that information on the scheme of tax relief for private hospitals was for the first time specified and separately included in personal income tax returns for the tax year 2004, the latest year available, and which were due for filing in October, 2005. Based on the information that has been received and collated to date for the tax year 2004, a...
- Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: Since the introduction of the Multi Annual Capital Investment Framework in 2004, it has been the practice to have an unallocated reserve (Exchequer and PPP) over the period. This reserve is necessary to allow for flexibility over the period whereby an unallocated amount is available for allocation in future years in the light of evolving priorities. The seven year capital envelope included...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (7 Feb 2007)
Brian Cowen: As I stated in my reply to question No. 39171/06 on 22 November last, the Government's position on pension reform is reflected in the statement issued in August by my colleague the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when the Report of the Pensions Board on Supplementary Pensions â "Special Savings for Retirement" â was published. This statement recognised the many challenges in...