Results 13,021-13,040 of 32,926 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Central Bank of Ireland (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am informed by the Central Bank that the position remains that it is committed to disposing of the floating rate notes acquired as part of the IBRC liquidation as soon as possible, provided financial stability conditions permit. As the Deputy is aware the Bank is statutorily independent therefore decisions around sales are a matter for the Bank itself.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Central Bank of Ireland Data (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The ECB conducts an annual monitoring exercise to assess the compliance of national central banks (NCBs) with the prohibitions of monetary financing and privileged access referred to in Article 123 (and Article 124) of the Functioning of the European Union. Monetary financing prohibition includes the principle that NCBs must ensure that they do not finance obligations of the State...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Mortgage Interest Relief Eligibility (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by Revenue that Section 244 Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides for tax relief on qualifying interest paid in respect of qualifying home loans.  The applicable ceilings and rates of relief will depend on the particular circumstances of the borrower and are set out in Section 244. For the purposes of Section 244, a “qualifying loan” is a loan which is used by...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Law Reform Commission (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Many Law Reform Commission papers are concerned with matters which fall under the responsibility of the Minister for Justice and Equality. It is difficult to be definitive in respect of which legislation over the past decade was inspired or influenced by a Law Reform Commission report and no statistics are collated or maintained in this regard. However reports published by the Law Reform...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Living City Initiative (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Based on the most recent information received by Revenue from the City and County Councils, the number of applications received per eligible city is set out below. I am advised by Revenue that applications are only required to be made to the relevant local authority under the owner-occupier and rented residential elements of the scheme. Applications are not required to be made under the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Mortgage Arrears Rate (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I have been informed by the Central Bank of Ireland that it while it produces mortgage arrears statistics on a quarterly basis, this information is not collated on a county by county basis. The latest statistic are available at . The Central Bank of Ireland does however provide a breakdown of aggregate levels of arrears by county in their Household Credit...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The tax treatment of tobacco products in EU member states is provided for in Directive 2011/64/EU (the 'Tobacco Products Tax Directive'), but it does not provide explicitly for heated tobacco products.  I am advised by Revenue that heated tobacco products, which are also known as heat-not-burn tobacco products, are a relatively recent innovation and have yet to enter the Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Industry (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: At the outset, the Deputy should note that the decision to discontinue the production of the Blue Book is an operational matter for the Central Bank of Ireland, and I in my role as Minister for Finance have no influence over it.  Notwithstanding this, my officials have had some engagement with the Central Bank on this matter. In response, the Bank has indicated that, the tables in the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 240 and 251 together. Ireland has engaged in extensive and constructive discussions with the European Commission to ensure that once commenced, the Sugar Sweetened Drinks Tax does not infringe EU State aid law. Following these constructive discussions with, and a formal notification to, the European Commission, a positive decision is expected very soon to...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Energy Policy (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to thank the Deputy for forwarding the above mentioned paper which has been passed onto to my officials for their consideration. The paper contains proposals in relation to vehicle and carbon taxation.   The National Mitigation Plan sets out the Governments approach to transforming Ireland towards a low carbon society. The plan contains commitments in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: State Savings Schemes (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) has informed me that all State Savings Fixed Term Products are purchased subject to Terms and Conditions.  The Terms and Conditions do not allow assignment or transfer of products, or rights under the Agreement to purchase a product.  The product may be redeemed before maturity without penalty, with the interest earned to that time, and...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by Revenue that the delay in processing the person’s Disabled Passenger Scheme application arose because she inadvertently provided incorrect information when registering for access to the required online system. The issues were corrected by the person on 28 March 2018 and the necessary access information to allow her complete the application issued to her. Revenue has...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by Revenue that an application for exemption from Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) under the Drivers/Passengers with Disabilities Scheme was received on behalf of the person in question on 25 January 2018. The application was approved and a certificate allowing exemption from VRT issued on 7 February 2018. The exemption certificate was subsequently used to register the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I have been informed by the Central Bank of Ireland that the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears 2013 (‘CCMA’) contains specific protections in respect of tracker mortgages.  However, the CCMA only applies to a mortgage loan of a borrower which is secured by his/her primary residence.  For the purposes of the CCMA, ‘primary residence’ means a property...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Vehicle Registration (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 247 together. I am informed by Revenue that VRT is levied under the provisions of the Finance Act 1992, Part II, Chapter IV.  There are a number of exemptions and reliefs under this legislation including a zero rating on vehicles such as ambulances and fire engines, and, under certain circumstances, relief from VRT and VAT under the provisions of...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Forms (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The legislation governing entitlement to the incapacitated child tax credit is contained in section 465 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, as amended.  Incapacitated Child Tax Credit can be claimed by filling in the form ICC1. The wording of this form was updated by the Revenue Commissioners in January 2018, following an internal review. The precise nature of the issue which the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Coverage (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Finance, I am responsible for the development of the legal framework governing financial regulation.  Neither I nor the Central Bank of Ireland has the power to direct insurance companies on the pricing or provision of insurance products.  Indeed, the EU framework for insurance expressly prohibits Member States from adopting rules which require insurance companies to...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Stamp Duty (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I assume the Deputy is referring to the measure introduced in Finance Act 2017 to allow a farmer to claim relief from stamp duty where he or she both sells and purchases land for the purposes of consolidating an existing farm holding.  This measure has not yet been commenced as it is still being considered by my Department in the context of EU State Aid requirements.  Subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Financial Services Regulation (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: There is no agreement on the precise meaning of the term “vulture funds” and it has come to have pejorative connotations. I presume that the Deputy intends referring to private equity funds. As the Deputy may be aware, the Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) (Amendment) Bill 2018 was introduced by Deputy Michael McGrath on 21 February 2018. The Bill...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Community Banking (17 Apr 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department, along with the Department of Rural and Community Development, is assigned the responsibility of fulfilling the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment to "thoroughly investigate the German Sparkassen model for the development of local public banks that operate within well-defined regions". Local public banking is where the state, or another public body, has...