Results 24,421-24,440 of 34,745 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: -----exempting those households from the property tax, I oppose this approach.

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: -----it is to be spent next year. The Minister of State said in the reply to which I refer that he was allocated money for flood relief works this year and then he said to his senior colleague, "Sorry, Minister, I could not spend it. Can I carry it forward to next year?" What good is that to the people he will be meeting over the next week or two?

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: What he is saying-----

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: Before I came down here this morning, a Cheann Comhairle, I checked the record of the funds carried forward last year, the unspent funds from 2014 carried into 2015. It was dealt with by the Minister, Deputy Howlin, or perhaps the Minister of State, at the finance committee earlier this year. There was indeed unspent money in various Departments but not in the OPW. He might have handed...

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: I will conclude on this point. The Minister of State is saying €15 million of unspent flood relief money will not be spent this year-----

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: -----and many households that are being asked to pay local property tax will be the subjected to flooding because he did not do his job this year.

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: That is the essence of what is happening here today. What I am saying in respect of this legislation is that we want a commitment from the Government. That commitment could even take the form of a gesture because the Government is good at gestures. Let it be a token; the Government is good at token efforts.

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: The Minister of State should at least make some effort for the people out there so that they will not have to pay local property tax in the first week of January in respect of houses they will not be able to live in over Christmas. If that is not reasonable, I do not know what is. Is the Government so out of touch with the people regarding the payment of property tax next January that it...

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: He said-----

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: We need a local property tax exemption for people whose homes and properties have been flooded. We have an exemption in there for pyrite-----

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: This is Second Stage. It is about the broad basis of the Bill. In respect of properties that were flooded, I do not know when the Minister of State said it, whether it was today, yesterday or the day before, but it was reported on some radio station this morning that he said this Government is the most proactive ever in the context of dealing with flooding-----

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: -----and with people whose houses are flooded and who have to pay local property tax. The purpose of this legislation is to deal with local property tax. He said that all the plans can be viewed on the website. The Minister of State is living in a virtual world. He must come out of his website and into reality. Telling people in Portumna and Athlone that they can view his plans on the...

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: When he has funding to prevent flooding in people's houses, he should actually use it. I will deal with that matter specifically when I move my amendment on Committee Stage. I am not opposing the broad thrust of the legislation because we agree with the extension to 2019 that the Minister of State has included in it. However, we would not need to be here today if he or the Minister for...

Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: It is very timely to discuss this Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015 today. There is one good element to its substance, which is the deferring of the revaluation date for the local property tax from 1 November 2016 to 1 November 2019. The issues of exemptions for people affected by pyrite and disabilities are also welcome but they are more of a public relations...

Finance (Tax Appeals) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: I understand what the Minister of State said and I am sure he understands the point I make. I accept it will not be dealt with specifically in this legislation. I acknowledge that paragraph (c) provides that the Appeals Commissioners must indicate in their statement if a case has been referred to the High Court. I accept that some of the cases that proceed to the High Court will be between...

Finance (Tax Appeals) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 8:In page 41, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following:“(5) A report shall subsequently be amended by the Appeal Commissioners to state the result of any appeal to the Circuit Court or the High Court arising out of the determination, together with the result of any subsequent appeal from such a decision of the High Court to the Court of Appeal.”. I...

Finance (Tax Appeals) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 4:In page 39, line 19, after “appealed to” to insert “the Circuit Court or”. I welcome the opportunity to move the amendment, which my colleague, Deputy Michael McGrath submitted. Of the 14 amendments in this group of amendments, six are in the name of Deputy Michael McGrath. When we have dealt with them, only one amendment will remain to be...

Estimates for Public Services 2015 (9 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: I am pleased to contribute to this debate on the Supplementary Estimates, which are additional record Supplementary Estimates from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin. His Department was set up to reform public expenditure but the only reform he has achieved was to ensure no adequate budgeting at the beginning of each year. In the last fortnight of every...

Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) (Amendment) Bill 2015: First Stage (9 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: I move:That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 to allow interchangeability between biologic and biosimilar medical goods. I am pleased to introduce this short Bill, which I hope can reduce the large bill of up to €2 billion that we face each year for medicines in our health services. The Department of...

Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) (Amendment) Bill 2015: First Stage (9 Dec 2015)

Seán Fleming: I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."