Results 6,421-6,440 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the amounts of tax revenue collected from Mineral Oil Tax on petroleum products for each month respectively in 2007 and the first four months of 2008 are set out in the following Appendix A and Appendix B. VAT returns do not require the yield from a particular sector or sub-sector of trade to be identified and therefore the VAT yield in each...

Written Answers — Social Partnership Agreements: Social Partnership Agreements (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am aware of the Economic Outlook publication prepared by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. This set out their analysis of the Irish economy as the national pay talks got underway. I acknowledge that there has been a recent increase in the rate of consumer price inflation but this is primarily due to external factors. At a recent plenary session of the social partnership pay talks, my...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure Reviews: Departmental Expenditure Reviews (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: In my predecessor's 2008 Budget Statement before this House on 5th December 2007, he announced the Government's agreement to an efficiency review of all administrative spending across the whole public service. In the Summary of Budget Measures, he set out his intentions as to how the review process should proceed. In essence, all Government Departments and Offices were required to examine...

Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131, 136 and 151 together. At Budget time, an Exchequer deficit of €4,866 million was projected for the year with tax revenue growth of 31⁄2 per cent forecast. At end-April, my Department published information which showed that overall tax receipts for the first four months of the year were €736 million, or 5.3%, behind target. At the time it was...

Written Answers — Tax Evasion: Tax Evasion (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The protective notification regime, provided for by section 811A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (TCA 1997), was introduced by Finance Act 2006 and was amended in Finance Act 2008 with a view to making it more effective. Section 811A is, in effect, a companion provision to the general anti-avoidance provision, contained in section 811 of the TCA 1997, which was introduced in 1989 after...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure Evaluation: Departmental Expenditure Evaluation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I think it is important that the Oireachtas should engage with evaluation of spending programmes under the Value for Money Initiative, and in this regard the Deputy will be aware that the Orders of Reference for the Select Committees of the 30th Dáil specifically encompass consideration of the reviews completed under this initiative. The Deputy will also be aware that my predecessor wrote...

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134, 180 and 181 together. The role of the Minister for Finance as regards financial regulation is to develop policy and bring forward proposals to the Oireachtas for the regulation of the financial services sector. Once that legislation has been enacted, the task of implementing and applying it on a day-to-day basis rests with the Financial Regulator, which...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Ireland has generous provisions in its tax code for granting relief from double taxation in respect of income of Irish residents that has suffered tax in a foreign country. Generally this allows for foreign tax paid by an Irish resident taxpayer to be credited against the Irish tax on the same income. Normally credit relief is only granted in respect of tax suffered in countries with which...

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 175 together. As the Deputy will be aware the general issue of the pricing of UK goods in Ireland on the basis of the increased strength of the euro has been the subject of recent discussions between my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Consumer Agency. The main...

Written Answers — Capital Expenditure Programmes: Capital Expenditure Programmes (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As Minister for Finance, I continually meet my Ministerial colleagues on matters of Government policy generally, including as regards progress on implementing the various capital programmes provided for in the annual Estimates. I envisage I will have more such meetings in the run up to the Budget. There is nothing exceptional about this.

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As measured by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), annual inflation in Ireland was 3.3% in April 2008, the same as the Euro area average. Using the domestic measure — the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — the annual inflation rate was 4.3% in April 2008. This represents an improvement on the CPI inflation rate of 5.0% recorded a month earlier. The pick-up in inflation in recent...

Written Answers — International Monetary Institutions: International Monetary Institutions (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: In recent years the Bretton Woods Institutions have taken a number of steps to bolster their accountability, including the reform of quota and voice within the institutions, improved transparency and evaluation and in the case of the IMF, budgetary reform. The IMF's 2005 Medium-Term Strategy included a broad programme of modernisation. Subsequently, the IMF has embarked on a process of...

Written Answers — Financial Services Remuneration Policy: Financial Services Remuneration Policy (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As Minister for Finance, I have no role in relation to the pay of senior executives of financial institutions, or indeed, any other private sector companies. Remuneration policies are ultimately a matter for the board of the directors of the institution concerned and should, in line with good corporate governance, be subject to oversight and approval by shareholders. As the Deputy may be...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The scope of the Freedom of Information Act has been extended on a number of occasions and the Act now applies to over 500 bodies across the public sector. My Department is currently involved in making arrangements for a further extension of the Act which I expect to implement before the end of 2008.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 150 together. The increase in oil prices is an international phenomenon which is impacting across all sectors of the economy and of society. I would draw to the Deputy's attention that, in terms of excise duties, fuel used by fishermen and farmers is already treated favourably compared to fuel used by other sectors. It should also be noted that the VAT...

Written Answers — Public Private Partnerships: Public Private Partnerships (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Apart from the one case referred to in the media, no similar concerns have been raised with me. The Government remains committed to the use of PPPs in appropriate circumstances as an option in delivering certain public investment projects.

Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The National Development Plan 2007-2013 (NDP) sets out a seven year financial framework within which Government Departments and agencies could plan the delivery of public investment and expenditure, including existing levels of service and enhancements of service. The great bulk of projected NDP investment comes from the Exchequer and this is particularly true of current expenditure....

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Both my predecessor and officials from my Department have regularly engaged with colleagues from other Member States within the EU on a whole range of policy issues, including tax issues and the common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB) and I will, of course, be making this a priority for my own term as Minister for Finance. The Deputy will be pleased to learn that it is clear from...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that there is no change to their approach to collecting tax from business. The reports to which the Deputy has referred was a reaffirmation of Revenue's long standing message to businesses of the importance of early engagement with Revenue where a business is experiencing difficulties in paying its tax debts. Revenue is not alone in urging such...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that, as with all categories of undeclared income, they are not in a position to provide an estimate of the number of investment properties in the State for which no rental income is declared, or the cost to the Exchequer of undeclared rental income on such properties. This is because Revenue can only provide data on the basis of the information that...