Results 6,321-6,340 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: The information on the records held by the Revenue Commissioners relates to income from work or other sources received by individuals. There are many taxpayers who are nominally liable at the higher rate of tax but who effectively pay tax at no more than the standard rate of tax. This is due to their higher rate liability for tax being fully offset by the value of their personal credits, as...

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: Section 32 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1994 requires financial institutions to take reasonable measures to identify their customers. Recommended procedures for the implementation of this provision are set out in Guidance Notes issued under the aegis of the Money Laundering Steering Committee which is chaired by the Department of Finance and includes representatives of financial services...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the only relevant information available is in respect of income tax relief allowed for contributions to Retirement Annuity Contracts for the income tax year 2003, which are available to the self-employed and to employees not in occupational pension schemes. A distribution by income ranges of the number of cases, amount of deduction and reduction...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: The 2003 EU Energy Tax Directive incorporated special derogations which allowed specific excise duty reliefs to be applied in a number of Member States. In the Irish context, these derogations allowed for reduced excise rates to apply to fuel used for public transport services which includes school transport services. While these derogations expired on 31 December 2006, Ireland, along with...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: On Budget day, 6th December 2006, my Department forecast that Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation would be 4.1 per cent this year. This forecast was based on the normal technical assumption of unchanged interest rates. The Budget day forecast for the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) inflation — the EU inflation measure — was 2.6 per cent this year. Since budget day there have...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: I have been advised by the Revenue Commissioners that, in addition to his normal tax credits (married credit, employee credit and other reliefs), the taxpayer has received and continues to receive the Incapacitated Child tax credit for all relevant years. A claim for travel costs to and from hospital has been received and allowed under the heading of Health Expenses for each of the years...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: I have primary responsibility for Civil Service pensions. My colleague the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is primarily responsible for the Local Government Superannuation code. Prior to 31 July 1973 female public servants (with very limited exceptions) were required by law to resign on marriage. In such cases, employees who had at least five years service (six...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: Section 2 amends section 5, statements of Members' registerable interests for clerks, of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 in two ways. First, it amends the 1995 Act to require Oireachtas Members, including officeholders, to furnish to the Standards in Public Office Commission a statement that the Member is in compliance with the new requirements on benefits from friends that have been...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: There is a code of conduct for Members of the Dáil and Seanad which outlines that it is open to people to accept hospitality up to a certain value. The issue is that people need to be able to see that there is no conflict. It is more about people believing there is in place a regulatory framework which ensures no conflict will arise. As I stated last night, currently there are no limits...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: I agree with the Senator that the regulations may not add to the attractiveness of having a public career but I hope they are not an insurmountable impediment for those who are determined to do so. I take the Senator's point. People have that disposition when they think about public life. In the framework we are developing by way of a series of legislative enactments during the past ten...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is a matter of judgment and I do not claim to have exclusive wisdom on this. Political donations are not covered by this legislation. The legislation is not changing the threshold to €2,000 for the amount of a cheque one might receive in support of one's election campaign. That is covered by the Electoral Acts, so there is no change in that regard. Indeed, the example I gave earlier...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: I wish to be associated with those remarks.

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: For the purposes of clarity, section 3 increases from €650 to €2,000 the monetary threshold at which a gift given to an officeholder by virtue of his or her office is deemed to be a gift to the State. We are not talking about ordinary members but officeholders and increasing the threshold from €650 to €2,000 for gifts given to an officeholder by virtue of his or her office to be...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: This amendment amends section 15A to be inserted in Part III of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 so that the opinion to be sought from the Standards in Public Office Commission about acceptance of a benefit from a friend is whether it would not be likely to materially influence the recipient in the performance of his or her official duties. The term "materially influence" appears three...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: The section relates to gifts to officeholders and Oireachtas Members for personal reasons only and no limit is in place in this regard currently. A limit, therefore, needs to be imposed, and this is agreed. The issue then centres on the definition of "personal reasons" because it has nothing to do with political donations, the performance of one's duty, funding campaigns or one's politics....

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: As already stated, there are different views on this matter. I respect from where people are coming because everyone is trying to find the right balance. To take the example of a person receiving a donation of €1,500 and using it in conjunction with other moneys he or she might be saving for political purposes, what he or she received would not then be for personal purposes only. In my...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: This amendment of section 23 of the principal Act inserts new provisions for an investigation by the commission under the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995. The new provisions will provide that the standards commission, where it considers it appropriate to do so, will be able to investigate possible contraventions of the new requirement. The new provisions also provide that any such...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: We have already dealt with the principle behind the figure of €650 being raised to €2,000. As regards the other thresholds covered in section 6, remuneration from a trade or profession is being increased from €2,600 to €5,000; and the value of shares from €13,000 to €20,000. The section also covers interests in land and contracts for the supply of goods and services to the...

Seanad: Ethics In Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: I thank those Senators, both last night and today, who contributed to what was a good debate. I wish well those Senators who are present, and also those who are not because they are involved in the upcoming campaign. I wish Senator Hanafin, on my side of the House, well, as well as Senator Cassidy and I congratulate Senator Cassidy on his appointment as Leader of the House. I wish Senator...

Order of Business (5 Jul 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is proposed to take No. 1a, Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Bill 2007 [Seanad] — Second and Subsequent Stages. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that: (1) Second and Subsequent Stages of No. 1a shall be taken today and the following arrangements shall apply: (i) the proceedings on Second Stage shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a...