Results 1-20 of 33,967 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Housing Schemes (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The Help to Buy (HTB) incentive, is a scheme to assist first-time purchasers with the deposit they need to buy or build a new house or apartment. It also aims to encourage additional supply of new houses by supporting demand. HTB provides a refund of Income Tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) paid in Ireland over the previous four years, subject to limits outlined in the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: On the introduction of the Local Property Tax (LPT), the Government decided that a liability to the tax should apply to all owners of residential properties with a limited number of exemptions. Limiting the exemptions available allows the rate to be kept low for property owners who do not qualify for an exemption. There is no specific exemption from the requirement to pay LPT for persons aged...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Under the terms of the EU VAT Directive which Irish VAT law must comply, it is held that all economic activity is generally liable for VAT at the standard rate which Member States must set at a minimum of 15%. Ireland currently applies a standard rate of 23%. Under specific terms, Member States may set a reduced rate which must be at least 5%. Ireland currently has two reduced VAT rates:...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by Revenue, that the VAT rating of goods and services is subject to the requirements of EU VAT law, with which Irish VAT law is required to comply. In general, the EU VAT Directive provides that all goods and services are liable to VAT at the standard rate, unless they fall within categories of goods and services specified in Annex III of the VAT Directive, in respect of which...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Banking Sector (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The Central Bank of Ireland advises that it does not publish specific data on the number of residential mortgage loans sold by banks to non-bank entities. In its ‘Residential Mortgage Arrears and Repossessions Statistics’ data series the Central Bank publishes quarterly data on the number of mortgages held by both bank and non-bank regulated entities. The Central Bank...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Crime Prevention (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The Central Bank of Ireland released updated payment fraud statistics for 2024 on the 16th of October. As the deputy correctly points out, during 2024, €160 million in fraudulent payments were recorded by Irish resident PSPs representing a 24.5 per cent increase from €129 million in 2023. The total volume of fraudulent payments also experienced a significant rise,...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Crime Prevention (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: My officials are undertaking a number of steps in the effort to fight payment fraud and enhance the resilience of Ireland's payment systems, at both the national and EU level. Firstly, the Instant Payments Regulation requires the provision of an IBAN/name check, which applies to both instant payments and standard credit transfers and is now in effect. This IBAN/name check function reduces...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Crime Prevention (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The UK’s contingent reimbursement model came into effect in October 2024. The mandatory reimbursement rule in the UK requires financial institutions to reimburse victims of authorised push payment (APP) fraud for UK payments made via Faster Payments or CHAPS payment systems. APP Victims can be reimbursed up to £85,000. The costs for these reimbursements are shared equally between...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Artificial Intelligence (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I can confirm for the Deputy that my department has no projects, contracts or pilots, either currently being undertaken or in development that make use of agentic AI. I can also confirm for the Deputy that my department follows the Government approved Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Public Service, as approved in May 2025. In addition, my...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Local property tax (LPT) is a self-assessed tax charged on the market value of residential properties in the State, which is collected by Revenue. The number of homes which move into a higher band will be determined by the self-assessed returns by homeowners. Therefore, it is not possible to provide a definitive answer to the Deputy’s question. Earlier this year, officials in...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Departmental Contracts (22 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I can advise the Deputy that my department, in the timeframe available, has the following information readily available from 2020 to 2025 where a final cost is known and has been borne by my department. In order to inform the Deputy to the fullest extent my department has listed all contracts entered into with private consultancy firms and the reason for the contract. In relation to the...

Finance Bill 2025: Referral to Select Committee (21 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Orders 103 and 108.

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I want to thank all the Deputies who contributed on this debate. I have stayed for all of Second Stage to hear the different views that have been raised and I look forward to dealing with these matters in more detail on Committee Stage, beginning in two weeks. I will now deal with some of the different charges and debates around the Finance Bill. As some speakers have recognised, this...

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: That is a shameful accusation.

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: It is shameful - politics of the lowest level, Deputy.

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: This is below you.

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: That charge is below you and you know it.

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: You know that is below you.

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: This is politics of the worst kind.

Finance Bill 2025: Second Stage (21 Oct 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Listen to what you have said, reflect on it and decide whether you think it is a charge worth making.