Results 15,781-15,800 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Paradise Papers: Chairman, Office of the Revenue Commissioners (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: If I may, I will raise two unrelated issues. I appreciate Mr. Cody has not received notice of them and if he needs to revert to me with a reply, that will be fine. Does Mr. Cody have any observations to make on the Tax Appeal Commission system? I accept the commission is entirely independent of the Revenue. I read a briefing from the Irish Tax Institute raising serious concerns about the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Paradise Papers: Chairman, Office of the Revenue Commissioners (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: They are clocking up interest while they are in the logjam. Is that not the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Paradise Papers: Chairman, Office of the Revenue Commissioners (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: Mr. Cody may recall correspondence I sent on fraud in the area of flat-rate addition VAT in the poultry sector. He will be aware of the general allegations that were made. Is he satisfied that the Revenue Commissioners have fully investigated the allegations of fraud and carried out a comprehensive and thorough assessment of the issue and reached a conclusion?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Paradise Papers: Chairman, Office of the Revenue Commissioners (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: Having examined the details and the file, is Mr. Cody satisfied that the practice did not amount to fraud?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Paradise Papers: Chairman, Office of the Revenue Commissioners (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: Was it revenue fraud?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Paradise Papers: Chairman, Office of the Revenue Commissioners (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: Will Revenue be the only and final arbiter on the question of whether a practice or an activity is revenue fraud? Does that decision rest exclusively with Revenue? Is it the case that no one else can make that decision because Revenue is the policeman for revenue fraud?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2017 (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Minister of State for his presentation. The significant shortfall of €1.377 million seems to be due to the payment of fees to counsel. Will the Minister of State or his officials explain the following? How are counsel paid by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions? Is a panel established for the selection of counsel? Is an hourly rate paid and applied across...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2017 (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: Is a brief fee paid to counsel for taking a case and preparing by studying the file, etc? Is the daily rate for senior counsel €1,500?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2017 (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: Does the term "daily refresher" refer to the per diemor daily rate?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2017 (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: The explanation given for the shortfall is the financial trials, but that is just one aspect.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2017 (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: Are the fees paid by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions the standards rates that apply?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2017 (29 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: Is it the Minister of State's view that the DPP's office is adequately resourced? What is his view on the length of time it takes for decisions to be reached? We often hear on the news about files being prepared and sent to the DPP. Is the length of time it takes for the DPP to make a decision in individual cases regarding whether to prosecute dependent on resources? To what extent is the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Tracker Mortgage Examination (30 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: 1. To ask the Minister for Finance the status of the tracker mortgage scandal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51247/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Tracker Mortgage Examination (30 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: Both questions are very similar. They ask the Minister to provide an update on the tracker mortgage scandal, in particular following his meeting with the banks and the subsequent update we got from Bank of Ireland that an additional 6,000 mortgage accounts had been identified as being affected. This is an opportunity for the Minister to give the House an update on the overall picture,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Tracker Mortgage Examination (30 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: This scandal is growing arms and legs. The 13,000 has now become 19,000 when one includes the extra 6,000 from Bank of Ireland. Prior to that examination another 7,100 cases were uncovered. Between those alone, the total is now of the order of 26,000 mortgage accounts affected. Some banks have provided ranges of potential affected customers. The Minister has acknowledged that the number...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Tracker Mortgage Examination (30 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: The amount of compensation an affected person gets is as if it were determined in a game of roulette. There is no consistency across the various institutions. I am asking the Minister whether he agrees the power to decide on the level of compensation should be removed entirely from the banks. Currently, there are appeals panels but they are under the umbrella of the institutions concerned....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Tracker Mortgage Examination (30 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: They are set up by the banks.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Insurance Industry (30 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: 3. To ask the Minister for Finance the status of a company (details supplied); his plans to publish the actuarial report on the liquidation of the company; when he expects to receive legal advice from the Attorney General; if he has consulted with the industry on the way in which to deal with the residual claims outstanding following the liquidation; and if he will make a statement on the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Insurance Industry (30 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: This question relates to Setanta Insurance and the fallout from the collapse of that company in April 2014. This matter has developed into a nightmare for many of the policyholders concerned. I have discussed it with the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, on a number of occasions. The current state of play is that many Setanta policyholders are being told, legally, that they are potentially...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Insurance Industry (30 Nov 2017)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. We have a situation here where Irish motorists took out valid insurance policies from a firm that was regulated here, albeit only for conduct of business purposes. The firm went bust and, three and a half years, later many of these policyholders are faced with the very real threat that they will be held personally liable for any shortfall in the...