Results 28,941-28,960 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: I move amendment No. 8: In page 16, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: 11.—Section 216C of the Principal Act is amended in subsection (5) by substituting "€17,500" for "€15,000". This is a small amendment and I do not intend to delay the House with it. The upper limit for people who provide child care in their own home, to have the concession of not making a tax return,...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: I thought for a wonderful minute that Deputy Mansergh, for once, was going to agree with an Opposition amendment, only to have my hopes dashed that the outer limit of his tolerance for equity stretched only to where the Minister has already put the benchmark. No doubt we shall keep trying to persuade Deputy Mansergh of the merits of the change. I do not want to hold up the House, but I...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Did that upset the Minister? I cannot get any concession from him.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: I move amendment No. 4: In page 13, line 22, column 3, to delete "€900" and substitute "€1,540". This amendment deals with the home carer's credit which the Minister has increased by €130, from €770 to €900. Anything is better than nothing but Fianna Fáil made a commitment to double it. It should at least be the same as the PAYE credit. We must treat people who opt to care for...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: It is but I would like to make my concluding comments, if I may.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: I am sometimes unable to tell whether Deputy Mansergh is spoofing. He said that he struggles to understand how people can suffer a penalty when they give up a job. However, consider a person who leaves a job paying €30,000, which is close to the average industrial wage, because he or she faces annual child care costs of €20,000. Such people will find that they have not only lost their...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: I acknowledge the Minister's point that this was a way in which individualisation allowed him to concentrate some tax relief on single people without having to give all the benefit to one-earner couples. Our objective is to recognise the home carer per se. We do not seek to reverse individualisation. The Minister is setting up a straw man when he pretends it is a question of reversing...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Those were entirely Deputy Mansergh's own words.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Deputy Mansergh is out of order speaking at this stage in the debate. I wish to set the record straight. I said such workers would face a penalty; I did not say they would be worse off. I explained the penalty, which is the loss of their PAYE tax credit and the narrowing of the spouse's standard rate tax band.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: I will leave our discussion of health aspects until later because there is a Government amendment on the issue. Therefore, I will not try to explain to Deputy Mansergh how an insurance-based health scheme does not have to be a free for all promoting just for profit medicine. However, we can revert to that topic. I have no problem with the principle of establishing a commission. We have...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: The amendment is particularly timely because the potential implications of yesterday's figures for the budget turnaround at the end of the year are truly catastrophic. In just two months we are €500 million off in terms of revenue. If this trend continues for the remainder of the year, we will be €3 billion off in our prediction, which would involve serious borrowing. We will be...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (5 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: It is the same office.

Written Answers — Architectural Heritage: Architectural Heritage (4 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Question 193: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the developments under consideration in the context of regeneration of the General Post Office site; if a framework plan will be published for public consultation; and if he has developed a timetable for the project. [8709/08]

Written Answers — Architectural Heritage: Architectural Heritage (4 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Question 195: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the latest plans for renewal works at the General Post Office; the scope of the plans that are under construction; the process of public consultation that is envisaged; the timescale envisaged for completion of the project. [8777/08]

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (4 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Question 196: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if there is a change in the policy under which persons who have a proficiency in Irish are awarded credit in promotion competitions for such proficiency; if new circulars have been issued modifying the application of this policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8778/08]

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (4 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Question 200: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the location and floor area of each building in respect of the properties in Dublin which have been released or sold as a result of the decentralisation programme; and the way in which each building has been released. [9126/08]

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (4 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Question 220: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason chiropody is not regarded as a core element of entitlement for medical card holders; her views on entering into a contract with chiropodists in order that medical card holders would not find themselves restricted in the use of chiropody services and obliged to pay top-up fees to chiropodists for access to the service; and...

Written Answers — Port Development: Port Development (4 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Question 325: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has reviewed the best locations for the development of additional oil handling capacity in ports here; if he will seek to influence commercial decisions in order to adhere to an optimum strategy; and his estimate of existing capacity at different ports here and the expected new capacity needed over the next decade. [8708/08]

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Question 403: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if minimum qualification standards have been set for the filling of posts on special needs teams in schools, both in a permanent capacity and in substitute capacity; if she has satisfied herself that persons helping children with special needs have all the necessary skills; and her provision for the development of requisite skills...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (4 Mar 2008)

Richard Bruton: Question 538: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the terms of reference of the review which he has initiated on the regulation of the private rented sector; if he has made decisions on the introduction of new obligations on landlords to maintain the external appearance of their properties to a reasonable standard and to ensure reasonable compliance with...