Results 9,781-9,800 of 27,019 for speaker:Michael Noonan

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (13 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: In structuring the local property tax (LPT) consideration was given to household incomes, as I will outline in my reply. At present I am not considering other ways of taking into account household income when calculating an individual’s liability to LPT. The Inter-departmental group, chaired by Dr Don Thornhill to consider the design of a property tax (the “Thornhill...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Property Taxation Collection (13 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: Work carried out by researchers in the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) before the introduction of the Local Property Tax concluded that a property tax at a rate of 0.4% would result in a small increase in the user cost of housing, thereby putting some downward pressure on housing demand. The Local Property Tax rate of 0.18% (for houses up to €1m in value) is less than...

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: First, I congratulate Pope Francis on his elevation and wish him a very long and successful reign in that very high office. I am sure the people of Ireland wish him very well, as I know this House does.

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: To turn to the business in hand, there will be independent oversight of all these arrangements. As the Deputy knows, the Central Bank is independent in the performance of its functions and has taken on the task of helping to design these arrangements and monitoring them as they are rolled out. As well as this, it is the licensing authority for the banks and, therefore, is in best position...

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: When all the grandstanding is taken out of it we all know that people's inability to pay their mortgages is one of the big problems in Irish society. Yesterday, arrangements were announced which will ensure that systematically people will be offered solutions so that their mortgages will be sustainable. The Central Bank will monitor this and provide the targets. The targets announced...

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: Many people here were at the meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts and they know exactly what Mr. Moran said.

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: It is not what the Deputy said. I ask the Deputy to read the Official Report and he will see there what he said.

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: Ar an gcéad dul síos ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil don Teachta as ucht seo a lua arís. Maidir leis na freagraí a thugamar inné, níl an plean lochtach ar chor ar bith. Beidh réiteach ar fáil don a lán clann timpeall na tíre nuair a bhéas an plean curtha i bhfeidhm. There is no flaw in what was put out yesterday....

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: On the issue of the independent agency, first, there will be a director of the personal insolvency agency who will implement the provisions of the insolvency Act with the personal insolvency practitioners. He is independent under the law passed by this House. The driver of this will be the Central Bank which is independent under statute and the Constitution. It has co-operated with us in...

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: The main thrust of Deputy Pearse Doherty's first intervention was that there should be an independent agency to look after these matters and that this was part of Sinn Féin's policy proposed earlier in the year. Now he is accusing me of having a hands-off approach. If there is to be an independent agency, then it must be independent. The independent agency in this case is the Central...

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: The Deputy cannot have it both ways on this.

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: The Deputy advocated the establishment of an independent agency. When I told him that was what would happen, he said we were hands-off in the Department of Finance and that was no good.

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: The Deputy cannot have it both ways. There has to be some logic to his policy positions.

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: He is correct in linking the issue of impaired mortgages to unemployment. Many people have linked it to negative equity and all sorts of other things. If one looks at it properly, the people with impaired mortgages are by and large unemployed. It is because of unemployment that we have this crisis. If we do not introduce the measures we have in the budget and if we do not get the deficit...

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: That approach would result in more people being unemployed and more impaired mortgages.

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: Further to the Government's decision that the harvesting rights to Coillte's forests be considered for sale, at the Government's request the National Treasury Management Agency, through its NewERA unit, has been actively engaged with Coillte, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in recent months to examine the financial and...

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: This issue arises in the context of a requirement under the programme. As the Deputy is aware, the troika has been involved in this. The context is that some State assets are to be sold. For example, the National Lottery will be issued with a new licence and the non-network part of Bord Gáis Éireann and some of the ESB power generation assets are under consideration. It is also...

Leaders' Questions (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: Several questions have been answered in the House on the matter.

Order of Business (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: It is proposed to take No. 10, motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2013 - back from committee; No. 21, Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012 [Seanad] - Second Stage (resumed); No. 1, Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) (Amendment) Bill 2012 [Seanad] - Second Stage;...

Order of Business (14 Mar 2013)

Michael Noonan: As the Deputy has noted, the decision in respect of the embassy to the Vatican and a number of others was made on cost grounds. We have to measure everything. However, the Irish ambassador to the Vatican was not withdrawn. That phraseology suggests we no longer have an ambassador to the Vatican. The Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the Irish ambassador...