Results 12,421-12,440 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Written Answers — Tax Reliefs: Tax Reliefs (28 Jan 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The position is that the form Med 1 is the claim form for persons who wish to claim tax relief in respect of health expenses incurred in relation to the provision of health care. Section 469 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 defines "health care" as the prevention, diagnosis, alleviation or treatment of an ailment, injury, infirmity, defect or disability, and includes care received by a...

Written Answers — Consumer Price Index: Consumer Price Index (28 Jan 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As is the norm in the course of the Budgetary preparations my Department carried out various technical analyses, including an assessment of the impact of falling consumer prices on households by social type and income decile. The Department's technical analysis suggested that prices were falling – on average – for all households both by income decile and head of household type. While...

Written Answers — Public Service Pay: Public Service Pay (28 Jan 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No 2) Act, 2009 makes provision for the reduction in the pay rates of all persons employed by public service bodies with effect from 1 January 2010. Universities come under the definitions within the Act as public service bodies, contract researchers where they are employed by such a public service body are subject to the pay...

Written Answers — Banking Sector Regulation: Banking Sector Regulation (28 Jan 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy will be aware that in my role as Minister for Finance, I set out the legislative framework within which offences and penalties are contained. The Financial Regulator is empowered under the Central Bank Acts to initiate administrative sanctions procedures (ASP) where it suspects, on reasonable grounds, that a prescribed contravention may have been committed by a regulated financial...

Written Answers — Land Rates: Land Rates (28 Jan 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I should point out that the Commissioner of Valuation is independent in the exercise of his duties under the Valuation Act, 2001 and that I, as Minister for Finance, have no function in decisions in this regard. The Valuation Act 2001 provides, in Schedule 4, for the exemption from rates of land developed for horticulture. This is defined in the Act as meaning land used for market gardening,...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Jan 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: This is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners in the first instance who are responsible for the administration of mortgage interest relief through the tax relief at source (TRS) system. I am advised that, following clarification of the sequence of events leading to the purchase of a new home in 2007, the Revenue Commissioners are satisfied that there is a continued entitlement to relief....

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (28 Jan 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Under Circular 14/1980, special leave may be granted within limits, to authorised non-full-time representatives of staff for attendance at union meetings, conferences etc. The following table sets out the days taken for such leave in 2007, 2008 and 2009 in my Department and the bodies under its aegis: Department/Office 2007 2008 2009 Department of Finance 41.5 15 13.5 Office of the...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Jan 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The position is that, as announced in the Budget, I am extending mortgage interest relief up to the end of 2017 for those whose entitlement to relief would end in 2010 or after. This means those who took out qualifying loans from 2004. I would point out that if an individual has re-mortgaged since 2004 and the re-mortgage was made for the purposes of repair, development or improvement of the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (28 Jan 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: In the period from April 2008 to date, two retired civil servants made a voluntary surrender of some or all of their pensions.

Written Answers — Public Service Contracts: Public Service Contracts (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The establishment of a list of competent firms interested in tendering for a particular project is an essential part of a prequalification procedure. For transparency purposes, it is a requirement that the number of firms being short listed should be stated in the contract notice published on eTenders or, in the case of projects above the EU threshold, in the Official Journal of the European...

Written Answers — Motor Vehicle Registration: Motor Vehicle Registration (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that there are no plans to amend the existing format of vehicle registration plates. The registration-numbering format under the existing system has a number of very important advantages. Firstly, it provides a fast and efficient method of vehicle identification for the State agencies involved in the management of the national vehicle fleet, namely,...

Written Answers — Motor Industry: Motor Industry (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The draft legislation as outlined on the Revenue Commissioners website (and reproduced below); shows that the scheme contains a number of conditions which must be fully complied with in order to qualify for the scrappage allowance. The car being scrapped: must be registered in the State in the name of the registered owner of the new car for at least 18 months previous to the date of...

Written Answers — Liquor Licensing: Liquor Licensing (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that all Excise Licence Licensees should apply to the Revenue Commissioners' National Excise Licence Office in order to renew their Excise Licence. This office deals with the application and renewal procedure for customers requiring an Excise Duty Licence. The contact details are as follows: Revenue Commissioners, National Excise Licence Office,...

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: There is no record of any correspondence from FÁS or from the Council mentioned by the Deputy having been received in my office in recent times with regard to the recruitment of staff to supervise FÁS work placement and training programmes. As the Deputy is aware there is a moratorium in force in relation to recruitment and promotion in the public service. While I have authority from the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Monthly profiles of tax revenue and debt servicing expenditure will be published with the end-January Exchequer Returns. The monthly expenditure profiles will be based on the allocations published in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2010, and will be published shortly thereafter.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Farmers who are registered for VAT are accountable persons for VAT in respect of all their taxable activities, whether those activities consist solely of farming or both farming and other activities such as the generation of electricity for provision to the national grid. As accountable persons for VAT, they would be entitled to claim input credit for VAT charged on the installation of an...

Written Answers — National Asset Management Agency Staff: National Asset Management Agency Staff (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The NAMA Act 2009 provides that NAMA staff members will be assigned to it from the NTMA. I am advised by NAMA that the NTMA currently has assigned ten staff to NAMA. The NAMA draft business plan published in October 2009 set out details on the proposed staffing in NAMA and its different operational units.

Written Answers — National Aquatic Centre: National Aquatic Centre (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Valuation Office is the State property valuation agency, headed by the Commissioner of Valuation. The office provides statutory valuations under the provisions of the Valuation Act 2001. It also provides a valuation consultancy service to Government Departments and public bodies. The Valuation Office provided a valuation for VAT purposes on the National Aquatic Centre dated 25 October...

Written Answers — Public Sector Pay: Public Sector Pay (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Section 10 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No 2) Act 2009 provides that the Minister for Finance can by Order bring the Act into operation on day or days appointed by the Minister. I brought the Act into operation on 21 December 2009 by Statutory Instrument No. 590 of 2009. No other regulations have been made by me under the Act. For the information of the...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (2 Feb 2010)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I have been advised by the Revenue Commissioners that a PAYE Balancing Statement P21 for the year 2009 together with any refund due will issue to the person concerned shortly.