Results 8,041-8,060 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Written Answers — Departmental Property: Departmental Property (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Following is the information requested by the Deputy. Year Device Type Reported lost/ missing/stolen Recovered 2008 USB Memory Stick 1 0 To date in 2008, one memory stick has been reported stolen and has not been recovered. I understand that no sensitive or private data was compromised with the loss of this device.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: In general civil servants whose work requires them to stay overnight at a location distant from their home or headquarters are paid a fixed sum which is designed to cover the cost of accommodation, three meals and a small amount for incidentals. There are different rates for different locations. Accommodation is generally arranged by the officers themselves and in most cases my department is...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: In general, where an overnight stay is required, the staff of my Department and agencies are paid a fixed sum which covers overnight expenses i.e. the cost of accommodation, three meals and a small amount for incidentals. However, to take account of the wide variation in circumstances that can arise with foreign travel, in some cases, instead of an overall subsistence rate, the cost of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Property: Departmental Property (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the following table. No servers are leased by my Department and I have been informed that this is the case in relation to the bodies under the aegis of my Department. Number of Servers Capacity — Gigabytes Department of Finance 29 1 – 100 20 101 – 200 18 201 – 300 5 301 – 400 9 401 – 500 2 501 – 600 6 601 – 700...

Written Answers — Surrender of Salary: Surrender of Salary (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The main groups that have made a surrender of salary are Members of the Government, Ministers of State, Secretaries General and holders of posts at an equivalent level in the Civil Service. Other groups that have made a surrender of salary include certain members of the Oireachtas and a number of individual senior public servants. As the gifts are personal and voluntary it would not be...

Written Answers — Tax Clearance Certificates: Tax Clearance Certificates (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that a tax clearance certificate will normally be issued within six working days to a person whose tax affairs are up to date. This means that at the time of the application, the person: has made all of the required returns to Revenue, and has paid all tax known to be due or agreed a payment schedule in respect of such tax debts. Where an applicant...

Written Answers — Tax Clearance Certificates: Tax Clearance Certificates (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that a tax clearance certificate issued to the person concerned dated 12th December 2008.

Written Answers — Banking Sector: Banking Sector (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Nobody wants a situation where viable businesses fail because banks will not lend them money. At my meetings with certain financial institutions over the last two weeks, I asked those institutions covered by the Government's guarantee Scheme to consider the contribution that they can make to the economy through appropriate credit initiatives in relation to small and medium sized businesses...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the total identifiable costs to the Exchequer of all income tax credits and reliefs available to individuals are set out in the following table for the income tax years 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, the most recent year for which the necessary detailed information is available except where otherwise stated. Relevant notes relating to items in the...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the information requested in relation to the main tax credits and reliefs available to businesses under the Income Tax Acts for which estimates of cost can be provided is as set out in the following table. The information provided covers the period from 2002 to 2006, the latest year for which most of the necessary detailed data is available....

Written Answers — Budget 2009: Budget 2009 (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As I stated in my replies to oral questions last week, all indications are that economic activity in 2009 will contract by significantly more than the forecast in the recent Budget with an overall contraction of perhaps somewhere in the region of 3 to 4 per cent. At Budget time, I identified that there were significant risks to the economic and fiscal forecasts for 2008 and for 2009. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Group will report to me every two months and will submit a final report to me by the end of June 2009. The Special Group's analysis and recommendations will assist me and my Government colleagues to identify economies which can be made on the scale necessary to ensure that the public finances are brought under control in a short and economically prudent timeframe. The Group's...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The remuneration arrangements, insofar as any apply, for members of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes are expected to be finalised in the New Year.

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Special Group's primary focus is on examining all programmes funded through public expenditure and to identify options for savings in the context of the Government's fiscal objectives as set out in Budget 2009. As such, tax incentives, credits or reliefs do not come under the remit of the group.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: There are currently 614 people (whole time equivalents) employed in my Department. There are currently 57 officers who hold degrees in Economics and related disciplines, 44 who hold a Masters qualification in Economics and related disciplines, and 1 officer who holds a PhD. Some officers will, of course, be included in more than 1 of these categories. There are 7 officers with professional...

Written Answers — Public Private Partnerships: Public Private Partnerships (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy will be aware that my Department has put in place the overall PPP investment framework, including the framework for the appraisal, assessment, procurement and evaluation of projects. Individual Departments are responsible for the projects and programme in their areas, within that overall framework. The extent to which current market developments affect PPPs is a matter for each...

Written Answers — Air Services: Air Services (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy will understand that there are constraints on any comments I can make about this matter at this stage because of the strict rules of disclosure which apply under the Irish Takeover Panel takeover code. I can say that Ryanair released its formal offer document on 15 December and, as the Deputy is aware from recent comments from the Minister for Transport, the Government will...

Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The National Treasury Management Agency have advised me that the current aversion to risk in global markets has led to an increase in the cost of insuring exposure to all counterparties, and the associated increase in credit spreads has more to do with the general sentiment in the credit markets than the financial position of individual issuers. Irish government debt has not been immune to...

Written Answers — Financial Institutions Support Scheme: Financial Institutions Support Scheme (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The thinking behind the Charging Model is set out in some detail in the Annexe to the Scheme. However, the main principle is that the Minister for Finance estimates an aggregate cost that the State will bear as a consequence of the guarantee and each covered institution will pay its share in accordance with its risk profile and the guarantee charging model, subject to the estimated cost to...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (17 Dec 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the relevant information available on the cost to the Exchequer of income tax relief for individual investors in private housing is based on personal income tax returns filed by non-PAYE taxpayers for the years 2003 to 2006 inclusive, the latest year for which this information is available, indicating the amount of interest on borrowings claimed...