Results 1,581-1,600 of 5,132 for speaker:Trevor Ó Clochartaigh

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: That is it, we both have that austere air about us. What is interesting about Senator Barrett's contribution to the discussion on the previous section is that we think there is a certain lack of imagination in this year's Finance Bill as the Government is once more taxing the old reliables, cigarettes, drink and petrol.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Yes, excise duties. We have just debated a section that impacts on people with relatively greater wealth than the type of people who may smoke cigarettes and so on. This section is very punitive on people from a lower socioeconomic background. The statistics show the majority of people who smoke cigarettes come from a lower socio-economic background and the effect of this section is to...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Go raibh maith agat. I take on board the points made by both Senators but as the Minister of State has outlined the rationale behind the section, it is a money raising exercise by the Department of Finance. I do not think its introduction is for health reasons. If this money was being collected for health reasons, it would be ring-fenced and put into a heath budget that would support...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Let me comment on Senator Gilroy's remarks.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: A Leas-Chathaoirleach, we are not calling for a decrease in the price of cigarettes. The point we are making is that to increase the duty on cigarettes as opposed to taking the step to tax the company that is making significant profits are very different measures. At present people are not spending as they do not have much disposable income. To increase the duty on cigarette will reduce...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It is a big black hole.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I welcome the Minister's of State's interesting lesson on the tobacco industry. I am aware that we do not have many manufacturing companies here. I learned when I was in Canada recently that there are many such companies there. I note that the Minister of State has a huge team of advisers with him. At the last count, there were 16 of them in the ante-room. I am sure a mechanism could be...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Absolutely. At the same time, consumers on lower incomes are suffering.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: While I broadly support the amendment, I have a number of questions. Has this measure been costed by the Department? What would it cost the Exchequer to introduce the proposed scheme? We heard examples of larger, multinational companies transporting and using their own transport sections for haulage purposes. A number of smaller Irish companies, notably in the food sector, which use their...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: This section deals with the rates of tax on alcohol products and alcoholic beverages. We had a similar argument in the case of cigarettes. This is another revenue grabbing exercise against people who drink alcohol. I would be one of the most vocal Senators on these issues and raised on the Order of Business today the cost in respect of those who drink to excess or have problems with...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I did not say that.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: In the light of some of the statement made, I do not think the statistics show that less alcohol has been consumed in recent years. However, the trends in drinking alcohol have changed. What they show is that people are not drinking in bars as much as they used to, but that there has been a huge increase in off-sales and sales through retail outlets. What has increased dramatically in the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I thank the Minister of State for his response. I would like to come back to him with his logic on a previous section, where he rightly pointed out there were no tobacco companies in Ireland. However, there are alcohol companies here which are making substantial profits. Has the Minister considered taxing companies as opposed to taxing consumers directly? Would that bring in the projected...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I would echo a lot of what Senator MacSharry has said. We have actually called for a debate on poverty in this House on a number of occasions but have yet to have that debate. People are experiencing levels of poverty in Ireland that have not been seen before. Poverty is affecting householders who have never previously found themselves unable to pay for the very basics, such as heating....

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: This section deals with increases to VRT and motor tax. The Minister of State will be aware that the automobile industry is on its knees. Representatives of that industry suggested that VRT and motor tax be decreased but the Government has chosen to increase them. In that context, I ask the Minister of State to indicate what he thinks the knock-on effect of this will be on the motor...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2013 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: This debate has raised a number of very interesting issues. I agree with Senator Michael D'Arcy that on different levels citizens have paid a great deal and it is very unfair to go back to them looking for more of a take when these very sophisticated multinational companies are using whatever mechanism is necessary to try to avoid paying a fair amount of tax. Fairness is what this budget...

Seanad: Mobility Allowance: Statements (21 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Fáiltím roimh an díospóireacht seo, ach cuireann sé an-díomá orm nach bhfuil Aire nó Aire Stáit anseo ná aon oifigeach le bheith ag éisteacht leis an díospóireacht. I do not see any reason we would not sit on a Thursday evening for debates like this but we should have the Minister or Ministers of State in the House to listen to the debate. Having said that, I must ask whether...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Or read one of the Senator's tweets.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Mar 2013)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I mentioned Jimmy Walsh last week, but I will extend an invitation to him this week. If he has time on his hands and is interested in improving his Irish, he will be welcome in Connemara any time. I support Senator van Turnhout's call on direct provision. I have visited some of the centres. This serious and complex issue has been raised a number of times on the Adjournment. The letter...