Results 6,841-6,860 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: It was clarified this morning that the owners of property in the RAS scheme are exempt. I was distracted and did not hear the Senator's other point.
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: That is also exempt. If the Senator wants further clarification I can get that. I have said very clearly that these people are exempt.
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I acknowledged this morning, and have just told the Senator again, that RAS is exempt. It is a fundamental part of how we accommodate people on our housing lists. It works extremely well. That is why they have got this exemption. We are not speaking now to an amendment. The Senator is seeking further information.
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I cannot give the Senator any further information. It is an exemption and that is all there is to it.
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: With respect to the Senator, this is extremely clear. The situation is spelled out exactly in sections 2(f), 2(g) and 2(h). Senator Cummins is stating that it is unfair and that a builder could have houses in the RAS scheme on one side of the road and dwellings not in the RAS scheme on the other side of the road and he feels that this is an anomaly. It is not because it has been spelled...
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I thank the Senators for the amendment. I have some sympathy for the purpose underlying the Senator's amendment, but I am convinced there are good reasons it would cause some practical difficulties if I accepted it. In the first instance, it is not at all clear what is meant by a "family". One can take a narrow or wide view of how this might be construed. Once owners or co-owners become...
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I thank the Senator for putting forward this amendment. Section 4 provides that where a decree of divorce or of judicial separation has been granted in respect of a marriage, a residential property in which a spouse retains an interest, but which is occupied by the other spouse as his or her sole or main residence, will not attract a liability for the charge in respect of the spouse who does...
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: The Bill is very clear on this. If a person owns the property, he or she is liable for the charge. However, I will contact my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, to advise him of the Senator's view on this matter as this branch of the law is primarily a matter for his Department to address. As I pointed out, the provision included in the Local Government (Charges)...
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I thank Senators Doherty and Cummins for bringing forward this amendment. I accept the Senators' point that it would not be reasonable to require someone to pay the â¬200 charge where they are away working for part of the time in circumstances where the remainder of their family resides in the family home. Senator Doherty made this same point this morning. I intend to issue guidance to...
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: Three dates must be borne in mind. The legislation will kick in on 31 July, and on 31 September the late payment scheme will commence. If a person has not paid by 31 October, the person will be liable for the late payment fee.
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I see this as the beginning of a process. It is a broadening of the revenue-raising base for local authorities. We must have a certain trust in our local authorities. There are areas where they can be criticised but I would be very surprised if they did not rise to this challenge. They will rise to the challenge and they will go out there and collect for all they worth because they want...
- Seanad: Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I assure Senators that I have looked at all these issues and I am assured, by the Attorney General and others, that I am not overstepping the mark with regard to intrusion into privacy etc. I will answer the points raised one by one. First, for Senator Coffey's information, I will read part of a letter from the Private Residential Tenancies Board: Significantly increased resources are being...
- Seanad: Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I am reliably informed that the Revenue Commissioners try to build up a matrix on tax compliance. The reason is that individuals who are not tax compliant in a certain area tend to act the same way in other areas as well. It can point the Revenue Commissioners in a certain direction. That is the reason for the provision. On the points raised by Senator Paudie Coffey relating to data...
- Seanad: Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I will be happy to do so.
- Seanad: Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I hope there will be no further debate because I wish to clarify the situation.
- Seanad: Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: The Senators need to be assured on these issues and that is why I facilitated dialogue and consultation during the interval in the debate. The Senators raised the question of liability for the charge in circumstances where a person who is in long-term care due to ill health still owns but does not occupy what was their principal private residence. The Senator is correct that it was never...
- Seanad: Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: A number of Senators have referred to a granny flat. The question of whether these are separate dwellings is relevant and was part of our discussion during the interval. Given the different arrangements people make regarding adjacent living accommodation for their parents, for example, in terms of access and the extent of living accommodation in the flat, some granny flats are likely to...
- Seanad: Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: It is as I stated. It is very clear.
- Seanad: Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I again thank the Senators for raising these points which I know are sincerely made. I found the discussion very useful. That is the purpose of debating legislation, that we tease out any outstanding difficulties. Let me be very clear, I do not seek out individuals to impose a â¬200 levy. I do not wish to give the impression this is some kind of tax on the elderly. People might construe...
- Seanad: Local Government (Charges) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jul 2009)
John Gormley: I have just stated that, in many cases, they are present to be looked after. Let me-----