Results 5,981-6,000 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government: Motion (14 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: Gross.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government: Motion (14 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: We could use it on humans as well.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government: Motion (14 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: I join with others in congratulating you on your elevation to the Office of Ceann Comhairle and I wish you well for the future. I have been allocated one minute to close this debate and that is all that is required. The situation as we find it is that we have formed a Government with the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats Party with the support of Independents. This coalition has...

Tax Yield. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: Exchequer tax receipts to the end of May were, at €18.603 million, just €19 million or 0.1% below profile. They were 9.6% up on the same period last year. This compares with a budget day target of an increase of 7.8% for 2007 as a whole. While overall tax receipts were almost exactly on target at the end of May, there are some variations under particular tax heads: corporation tax...

Tax Yield. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: Housing market activity impacts primarily on VAT, stamp duty and capital gains tax. It also impacts on income tax and PRSI receipts and corporation tax from construction sector company profits. While revenue from housing market activity, such as that relating to stamp duty and capital gains tax, has made an increasing contribution to the Exchequer in recent years, we are not overly reliant...

Tax Yield. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is worth noting that a significant proportion of receipts from these tax heads comes from sources other than residential property. On housing starts, a correction has been taking place in the market since last autumn. This has resulted in an easing in house price inflation. The latter is a welcome development because continuing double digit house price inflation would not be sustainable....

Tax Yield. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: In the past, returns in this area have exceeded those which had been forecast. Such forecasts were not based on windfall gains. There continues to be a prospect that our estimates will come in on target, even if there is a downturn.

Price Inflation. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: On budget day, 6 December 2006, the Department of Finance forecast that consumer price index inflation would be 4.1% this year. That forecast was based on the normal technical assumption of unchanged interest rates. The budget day forecast for the harmonised index of consumer prices inflation — the EU inflation measure — was 2.6% this year. As usual, the Department will publish updated...

Price Inflation. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: In looking at the causes of Irish inflation over the past year, it is important to distinguish between external factors, which are beyond domestic policy control, and internal factors. Externally, the main cause is higher mortgage interest payments due to ECB interest rate increases. Excluding mortgage interest repayments, as I have said, the rate of increase in the CPI inflation rate last...

Price Inflation. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: They are the Ministers with responsibility in these areas.

Pension Provisions. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: Tax relief is provided at an individual's marginal income tax rate on amounts contributed to pension schemes, subject to limits. Relief is also provided on contributions made by employers to such schemes and on the amount of profits and gains generated by the investments held by the pension schemes. Pension benefits payable on retirement are taxable subject to an entitlement to take a...

Pension Provisions. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: During the general election, we stated we would give consideration to the introduction of an SSIA-type scheme that would have to be negotiated with the social partners. In the absence of those negotiations, therefore, it is meaningless to outline the prospective costs of it.

Pension Provisions. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: During the election, as Minister for Finance, I clarified, without any equivocation, the issue. It would be considered in the context of the cost of pensions in the tax system as pension relief schemes work. There is considerable room for manoeuvre to see what changes can be made to pension arrangements that could accommodate, on a revenue-neutral basis, an SSIA-type scheme in the context...

Pension Provisions. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is not a question of being put to the back of any queue. As proposed in the Green Paper, it is a question of examining the cost of pension provision and how the provision of further improved incentives would be taken up by people who do not regard current arrangements as sufficient for supplementary pension provision. That is what I am talking about and ideally from the State's and the...

Decentralisation Programme. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: I confirm the Government's commitment to the decentralisation programme which has been included in the Agreed Programme for Government. The Deputy will be aware that the decentralisation implementation group, DIG, was appointed to oversee the implementation of the programme. It might be helpful to give a brief update on progress with the programme under a number of headings. To date, more...

Decentralisation Programme. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: The only people talking out of both sides of their mouths have been Members of the Opposition, depending on what bench they sit on and what Question Time is taking place on any given day.

Decentralisation Programme. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: The only people applying cynicism and negativity to this programme consistently have been on the Opposition benches, while cuttings from every local newspaper proclaim support for it.

Decentralisation Programme. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: I have not yet heard Fine Gael or Labour state one town or county that should not be included. The scheme is voluntary and there are industrial relations procedures in this country. The implementation group makes it quite clear that a breakthrough will be required regarding the State agencies to try to get the programme up and running to match the headway made in respect of the Civil...

Departmental Bodies. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: The programme for Government contains certain commitments in the area of taxation policy, including a commitment to establish a commission on taxation that will have a wide remit to consider the structure of the taxation system. It will be charged specifically with considering and making recommendations. For example, it will examine the balance achieved between taxes collected on income,...

Departmental Bodies. (26 Jun 2007)

Brian Cowen: First, I wish to disabuse the Deputy of a few notions she put forward as if they had a factual basis. I assure her that in my discussions — I headed the negotiations on behalf of my party regarding the formulation of the programme for Government — I was not aware of the Labour Party's proposals. They certainly did not form part of my discussions since the Labour Party was not prepared...