Results 22,761-22,780 of 32,960 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Exemptions (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Section 43 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides that any securities issued by the Minister for Finance may contain a condition that neither the interest nor the capital on that security are liable to income tax or capital gains tax provided they are held by a non-resident. This is in keeping with the general scheme of the taxation of the returns on financial products where...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Help-To-Buy Scheme Data (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Help-to-Buy incentive aims to both assist those first-time buyers struggling to save for the deposit required to purchase a house, as well as incentivising additional building and the provision of extra housing stock. At the time of Budget 2017 my Department estimated that the Help-to-Buy incentive would cost €40 million per annum for 2018 and 2019 and €50 million in 2017...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Central Statistics Office (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Statistical classification issues are a matter for the Central Statistics Office (CSO). At the request of Eurostat, the CSO is currently engaged in an assessment of whether the universities be included in, or excluded from, the general government sector. The CSO is engaging with Eurostat regarding the progress and outcome of these deliberations. Should any university be re-classified...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: There are a number of tax incentives in place to encourage the adoption of alternative and electric vehicles which are an environmentally cleaner mode of transport. A relief from Vehicle Registration Tax is provided up to a maximum €5,000 for electric vehicles, €2,500 plug-in hybrid electric and €1,500 for hybrid electric vehicles. The annual rate of motor tax for...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, it is a long-standing practice of the Minister for Finance not to comment, in advance of the Budget, on any tax matters that might be the subject of Budget decisions.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: VAT Rate Reductions (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the VAT rating of goods and services is subject to the requirements of EU VAT law with which Irish VAT law must comply. The VAT Directive provides that Member States may apply either one or two reduced rates of VAT to certain goods and services listed in Annex III of the VAT Directive. In addition, the VAT Directive allows for historic VAT...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware a legislative measure was introduced in Finance Act 2016, which enables me to exclude by Ministerial Order, from the Flat Rate Scheme, any specified agricultural sector where the business structures or models employed result in a systematic excess of flat-rate addition payments over input costs borne by flat-rate farmers within that sector. This legislative measure...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Data (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the farmer flat rate methodology is based on detailed estimates across the major items of the Agricultural Accounts, these are produced by the Central Statistics Office to meet both national and EU requirements and are part of the Economic Accounts of Agriculture (EAA) framework. The published estimates provide information such as output, input...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Customs and Excise Controls (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 93 together. I am advised by Revenue that a broad range of data, intelligence and analytics is used to evaluate risk and to identify and target sea-going vessels for specific interventions, including rummage and other searches. The specific intervention, if any, in any particular instance will be informed by the risk assessment and the nature of...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: GDP-GNP Levels (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department’s estimates of potential output for the years 2002 to 2021 are set out in Table 1. These estimates were prepared in the context of SPU 2017 published in April. They are prepared using the EU’s harmonised methodology. Table 1 Year Potential GDP Growth Rate (%)* 2002 6.7 2003 5.6 2004 5.1 2005 4.6 2006 4.0 2007 2.9 2008 0.7 2009 -0.8 2010 -0.5 2011 0.1...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Fiscal Data (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Having reduced the deficit below 3% of GDP in 2015, Ireland exited the corrective arm of the Stability and Growth Pact and became subject to the requirements of the preventive arm including the expenditure benchmark in 2016. The annual reference rate over the period 2016-2021 is set out in the table, and is sourced from the Summer Economic Statement, July 2017. 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Fiscal Policy (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I am aware of the proposal referred to by the Deputy. The analysis proposes that fiscal space estimates for the next number of years incorporate the extraordinary 26 per cent GDP growth figure recorded in 2015. My Department has advised that this approach is inappropriate and risks repeating the pro-cyclical mistakes of the past. I agree with this advice - the 26 per cent growth rate was...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Allowances (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The motor travel rates reimburse an officer only for the costs incurred in using their own cars for official business and are not deemed to be a source of emolument or profit. Officers are authorised to use their own cars on official business only where no suitable public transport (i.e., train or bus) is available or available only at equal or greater expense or where the use of public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Appointments Service (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Principal Officer Competition was run by the Public Appointments Service (PAS), which is an independent, statutory body which provides professional recruitment and selection services to the civil and public service.  PAS have confirmed that during the course of the quality assurance process, their test provider identified an issue with the Critical Analysis test which...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Community Sector High Level Forum (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Community Sector High Level Forum was reconvened in 2015 and met most recently on 7th April 2017, to give consideration to a number of issues including the issue to which the Deputy refers. In considering the matter, I must have regard to the costs and precedent of such an arrangement were one to be created. A scoping exercise is currently being progressed by officials in my...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Debt Management (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 102 together. The Final Report of the Debt Management Implementation Project Board was published by my Department in October 2016.  The report set improvement programmes that included qualitative and quantitative targets for 2016 - 2018 for each of the five in-scope public service bodies. If implemented successfully, the improvement...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Intestate Estates (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The last transfer from the Intestate Estates Fund Deposit Account to the Dormant Accounts Fund took place on 30 April 2007.  The amount transferred at the time was €4.4 million. This transfer covered the period from 1999, when a sum of £1 million was also transferred to the Exchequer. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has no plans at present to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: On Monday the 18th of September the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions endorsed the terms of the recently negotiated extension to the Lansdowne Road Agreement on pay and reform in the public service. This Public Service Stability Agreement will run from 2018 to 2020 by which point pay will be fully restored to all public servants earning up to €70,000...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The issue of addressing the difference in incremental salary scales between those public servants, who entered public service employment since 2011 and those who entered before that date was addressed with the relevant union interests under the provisions of the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA). From 1 November 2013 pre and post-2011 pay scales were merged...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Measures (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The full year cost of repealing the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation as it applies to public service employees would be €1.4 billion post full implementation of the terms of the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA). Pay bill increases of this magnitude in one year would: exceed available additional resources; violate the terms of EU...