Results 1,681-1,700 of 4,869 for speaker:Seán Haughey

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: The UK recently revised its air passenger duty; with the minimum rate at £11 and is up to £55 for long-haul flights. Those rates will increase again later this year. Similar taxes apply in France, Australia and New Zealand.

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: The rates for the Irish air travel tax are not unreasonable both for shorter and longer journeys when compared to rates in other countries. Taking the UK as an example, a person travelling within the UK will be liable to pay the UK air passenger duty of £11, or €12, on each leg of the journey. Therefore, a passenger departing from Manchester to London will be subject to the £11 tax and...

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: In Ireland, a person travelling within the State will be liable to pay €2 in tax on each leg of the journey, giving a total tax liability of €4. Furthermore, the UK rates in respect of longer flights range from over four times higher to five times higher than the Irish rate. The Government acknowledges that low-cost travel has been good for Ireland.

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: The pioneers in this area deserve to be commended. However, we must, in analysing the new tax, not overplay its impact. For illustration purposes, the House might wish to note that at present a fare from Shannon to London Stansted that is initially presented as €15 with a similar €15 return fare will actually cost a passenger over €100 when all charges are included, excluding the air...

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: In addition, there is a recently introduced on-line check-in fee of €5 per flight segment. If a person cannot check in on-line, there is a €40 check-in fee per flight segment. I should point out that a person flying from any airport in the UK to Ireland is already paying, through the airlines, £11, or around €12, in air passenger duty to the UK Exchequer. Airlines do not appear to...

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: At home, strong disposable incomes and consumer confidence led some people to take several air trips per year. It should come as no surprise, however, that in view of uncertainties in the economy generally, consumers have shown some reluctance to take or plan trips abroad. An air trip abroad generally involves expenditure of several hundred euro. To solely blame the introduction of a...

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: I cannot quite understand how an airline that has complained vigorously about the €10 air tax, on the basis of price sensitivity of customers, can then introduce a non-discretionary on-line check-in fee of €5 per flight or €10 per return flight.

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: The introduction of a relatively modest air travel tax is an important revenue-raising measure in the context of the significant financial challenges we now face.

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: The Minister for Finance has no plans to abolish the air travel tax because, in essence, it is fair-----

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: -----and will raise approximately €125 million in a full year in circumstances where additional revenues are required to narrow the budget deficit. In addition, it also serves to widen the tax base.

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: Deputies are subject to pleadings from various interest groups, some with more robust cases than others. In the current climate, we must apply sound and balanced judgment to such pleadings. The Government's view is that in this case the impact of the air travel tax has been significantly overplayed. Do people really believe that the abolition of the air travel tax would lead to the number...

Tourism Industry: Motion (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: I commend the amendment to the House.

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Education: Post-Leaving Certificate Education (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: I would like to congratulate the learners involved on their Oscar nominations and to congratulate in particular the winner of the 2010 Best Visual Effects Oscar. We are very proud of their achievements and as Minister for Lifelong Learning, I am very proud of the important role played by further education in their lifelong learning journey. They are a credit to themselves and their families...

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Education: Post-Leaving Certificate Education (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: Due to industrial action on the part of some staff in the Department of Education and Science, I am not in a position to give the details sought by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Education: Post-Leaving Certificate Education (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: There are currently 31,688 approved Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) places nationwide. This includes an additional 1,500 places approved in the context of the Supplementary Budget in April 2009. The 2010 budget for my Department has been framed on the basis that the approved number of PLC places for the next academic year will remain at 31,688. The overall number of approved PLC places is set...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of the Section 1.4 of the primary school transport scheme a service may be continued for as long as there are four eligible children and a minimum of six fare-paying children availing of the service. My Department examined this case in great detail in conjunction with Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme, on behalf of my Department. Bus Éireann advised...

Written Answers — School Completion Programme: School Completion Programme (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: The School Completion Programme (SCP) is my Department's programme for tackling early school leaving. The programme targets young people between the ages of 4 and 18 years and supports 468 primary and 223 post-primary schools in 124 School Completion Programme sites across 26 counties. Each School Completion project employs a local Coordinator to run the project at local level. Project...

Written Answers — School Completion Programme: School Completion Programme (23 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: Due to industrial action on the part of some staff in the Department of Education and Science, I am not in a position to give the full details sought by the Deputy.

George Mitchell Scholarship Fund (Amendment) Bill 2010: From the Seanad (24 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: I am happy to bring George Mitchell Scholarship Fund (Amendment) Bill 2010 back before the Dáil. All stages of the Bill were taken in Dáil Éireann on Thursday, 18 February and in Seanad Éireann on Tuesday, 23 February 2010. I am now seeking the agreement of Dáil Éireann to one amendment made in the Seanad to section 3 of the Bill. Section 3 amends subsection 2(3) of the 1998 Act,...

George Mitchell Scholarship Fund (Amendment) Bill 2010: From the Seanad (24 Mar 2010)

Seán Haughey: I thank the Deputies for their contributions and co-operation on this legislation. In particular, I thank Deputy Quinn for bringing forward his proposals to ensure more accountability. I agree with him on the broader objectives of this legislation and on what he said in the context of the peace process and so on. I thank him for his contribution and for his suggestions to improve...