Results 25,941-25,960 of 34,777 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: There is a long way to go before we have a decision as to whether or not Irish Water will be classified as an independent, commercially viable semi-State company. The raison d'êtrefor the establishment of Irish Water was that it would function as a commercial semi-State company along the lines of ESB and, in that way, be taken off the Government's balance sheet. EUROSTAT has not yet...

Leaders' Questions (5 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: Is the Tánaiste seeking to undermine the letter the Taoiseach issued to the Select Sub-committee on the Department of the Taoiseach this week, in which he said the CSO is working to finalise its report "in the next two to three weeks", after which that assessment will be provided to EUROSTAT? In other words, there is no delay on the part of EUROSTAT; the delay is with the CSO, which is...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: We have received significant helpful information. I wish to raise an issue on the Vote on the Central Statistics Office. We got information on global valuations and this included the valuation of Irish Water. I want to make a formal request to the joint committee to invite the Central Statistics Office to discuss its work on the market corporation test in respect of Irish Water and to...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: I will send an e-mail formally requesting the CSO to be invited to appear before the joint committee to discuss the matter. It will be on the list for next week's correspondence.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2015: Motion (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: This is a routine request to the committee every year. This year's carryover is smaller than last year and the year before. It is €79 million this year while last year it was in excess of €100 million. It is the smallest carryover in recent years, which means most of what was allocated was spent. We will not argue too much about the big figures because they are going in the...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2015: Motion (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: The briefing note the Minister of State has given us on how the carryover is to be spent this year states that €3.8 million will be spent on assisting in meeting obligations arising from the EU habitats and birds directives to address EU infringement cases. The hen harrier is in the Slieve Bloom mountains in my constituency. I am sure the Minister of State heard about it when he was...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2015: Motion (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: Will the Minister of State arrange a briefing note on the €3.8 million that must be spent as part of this carryover to address infringement cases with regard to the habitats and birds directives? It sounds as though a fine is in the pipeline.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2015: Motion (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: The Oireachtas is funny in how it runs its affairs. I will ask the Minister of State to get responses from the line Departments, because the committee will be told the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht does not report to this committee and so it will not send us a letter, and the same will happen with regard to swimming pools because the Department of Transport, Tourism and...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2015: Motion (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: The amount surrendered was €6.433 million.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2015: Motion (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: According to the document, the amount surrendered to the Exchequer from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation was €1.5 million, the amount from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was €693,000, the amount from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht was €284,000, the amount from the Department of Communications and Energy was...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2015: Motion (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: What was surrendered? We are dealing with the carryover. The charts provided to us include amounts carried forward and amounts surrendered, which obviously did not meet the 10% threshold and were forfeited. They add up to €6 million.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2015: Motion (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: I am reading the figures on the chart we received.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2015: Motion (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: I wish the officials to know that I am taking these figures from the charts we received.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 1:In page 5, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following:“(a) property which has experienced a change in circumstances which has significantly affected its net value,”. This amendment covers one of my principal objections to the legislation. It deals with a situation where there might have been no material change in circumstances, such as physical...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: I note what the Minister says. I will press this amendment.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 2:In page 10, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following:“Amendment of section 25 of Principal Act 11. The Principal Act is amended by substituting for section 25(2) the following: “(2) The result mentioned in subsection (1) is that a period of not less than 3 years and not more than 5 years elapses between the date on which any valuation list in...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: On that particular issue, we have probably come to the essence of the Bill. After 150 years we have not got this first round done and I do not share the Minister's confidence that we will get there in the timescale about which the Minister is talking. The system, therefore, is not working. From that point of view I will press the amendment.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 3:In page 14, line 31, after “shall” to insert “, within 2 months,”. There is no provision in the Bill that places a binding obligation on the commissioner to appoint a revisions manager. This amendment proposes to insert a requirement that it shall be done within two months of a person making an application. In amendment No. 4 I want to...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: I will withdraw the amendment.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2015)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 5:In page 17, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following:“(3) The Commissioner shall exercise the function provided for at subsection (1) within 2 months of the making by the revisions manager of the decision referred to at subsections (1)(a) or (1)(b). (4) For the purposes of subsection (2) the revision manager shall comply with the Commissioner’s...