Results 6,401-6,420 of 26,843 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I think he probably will. Will he?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Of course, I want to hear the Minister's answer.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Whether the amount involved is hundreds of thousands or millions or euro, that is significant. The obvious question that begs an answer is whether it would be cheaper to employ people with that expertise directly. When we are talking of figures of hundreds of thousands of euro or, in one case, millions of euro, it must be asked if it would not be cheaper to employ somebody full-time in...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I wish to ask the Minister about subhead B4, consultancy and other services. The outturn for 2013 was €3.5 million, yet the Estimate allowed for this year is €6.5 million. That seems like a huge amount of money for consultancy and seems even larger and more significant against a background in which the Minister required only half of that in the previous year. I accept that...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: As I hear the Minister's explanation and I look at this sub-head I am not happy with his explanation. It is not satisfactory and it does not satisfactorily explain the allocation of €6.5 million for consultants. To put it in context, if he were to employ full-time economists at €100,000 a year he could get 65 of them. He would not need 65; the expertise of many of them would...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: In respect of the programmes to which the Chairman has referred, head E is not so bad but there is very significant expenditure under heads C and D on what would appear to be consultant economists, that is, economic experts. While I made this point under a previous head, it repeats itself again here and in his response, the Minister did not really address it. I accept these are important...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am dealing with this head.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I have not got an answer.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: On that issue, we will agree to disagree. I strongly disagree with the Minister. I merely wanted to say that.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am merely stating for the record I disagree with the Minister. I do not accept his explanation. On the corporate tax advice the Minister is seeking, from whom is he seeking it?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Has the Minister identified some of it?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is why we should employ somebody.

Other Questions: Real Estate Investment Trusts (16 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is just speculation.

Other Questions: Property Taxation Administration (16 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 7. To ask the Minister for Finance the amount raised from the local property tax for 2013; the amount paid into the Local Government Fund; the amount allocated to Irish Water; if he will provide some estimates for 2014 and the oversight mechanisms that have been put in place to ensure prudent use of these funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1653/14]

Other Questions: Property Taxation Administration (16 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The local property tax is the Minister's tax. When it was first introduced in order to neutralise opposition to it, he said all the money was going to local services. Last autumn, we discovered that all the money was going to Irish Water. In recent weeks we have discovered that a huge amount of that money is going to line the pockets of consultants. Can the Minister get his story any...

Other Questions: Property Taxation Administration (16 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: What the Minister appears to be saying is that he, as Minister for Finance, has no role in scrutinising the spending of the €490 million that is being handed over via the Minister-----

Other Questions: Property Taxation Administration (16 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I find that pretty extraordinary because the money concerned is tax receipts. The Government in levying this unpopular, regressive austerity tax tried to neutralise opposition to it by saying that all the moneys collected would go back into local areas and services. We then discovered last autumn that not a single cent would go towards local services but would be used to meet the start-up...

Other Questions: Property Taxation Administration (16 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am entitled to raise the issue.

Other Questions: Property Taxation Administration (16 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: My question was what oversight mechanisms has the Minister for Finance put in place to ensure the prudent expenditure of the income from the local property tax in relation to Irish Water. That question was submitted prior to the breaking of the scandal in relation to Irish Water. It is a question which the Minister and his Government colleagues have failed to respond to for the past year...

Other Questions: Property Taxation Administration (16 Jan 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: He does not micro-manage things.