Results 301-320 of 33,049 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Ireland's Economic Outlook: Statements (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak in the Seanad this afternoon on the economic outlook for our country. As a former Member of this House, it is always an honour to be here. Before I discuss the Irish economic outlook, it is important to underline the global environment we are in. As all Senators will be aware, uncertainty is now the dominant feature of the world...

Seanad: Ireland's Economic Outlook: Statements (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: No.

Seanad: Ireland's Economic Outlook: Statements (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I have taken careful note of all the points Senators made. I will deal with each of them in turn and offer a few thoughts in response. Senator Joe O'Reilly made the important point that anything achieved by this Government or previous Governments, let alone the Oireachtas, is nearly entirely due to the buy-in of the Irish people. I go a stage further and say it is nearly entirely due to...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to appear before the committee today to discuss the 2025 Revised Estimates. As Minister for Finance, I will be discussing the four Votes within the finance group of Votes. These are: Vote 7 - Department of Finance; Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General; Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners; and Vote 10 - the Tax Appeals...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Deputy Nash. I will deal with each of his questions in turn. In respect of the current status of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal, particularly in the context of the scheme it oversees and for which my Department has responsibility, as the committee will be aware, all of the board members who were in place resigned in November 2021. Subsequently, five new members were...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Deputy O’Callaghan for his three questions. I will begin by addressing the issue of consultancy and the use of outside consultants and industry experts. The majority of the consultancy requirement in 2025 is caused by the need for Revenue to employ outside consultants for complex tax appeal cases. This is primarily concentrated in the work Revenue does with large corporate...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Which question was that?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: My colleagues here inform me that the issue relates more to the volatility of the figure rather than it necessarily being a sustained increase. Again, if Deputy O'Callaghan is interested in this, which I am sure he is, I can come back to him with more information on it. The team here inform me that the costs go up and down in any given year. If it has gone up now, it is likely to be...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Could Deputy Brennan just tell me again where he saw that figure? Was it under "capital miscellaneous"?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I will do my best to deal with each of the questions in turn. I will begin with the question about the EU Presidency. As the Deputy is aware, we will take over responsibility for the Presidency of the European Union in the second half of next year. That staffing will be used for two purposes in particular: the first one will be for additional staff in my Department in Dublin, in the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The main difference would be attributable to PRSI we do not include within our tax figures, for example. There would be customs, and there is also the revenue we collect on behalf of other Departments. I am happy to get a breakdown for the Deputy on the exact difference and revert to him on it.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Approximately 30.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: That would include our permanent representation.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The vast majority of them have been filled. I will be happy to come back to the Deputy with an exact breakdown. There is a ceiling of 415, and I believe we are very close to it. I can come back to the Deputy with the exact figures if he wishes.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: With tax forecasting?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I will be happy to come back to the Deputy on that.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I will check the figures. I know the individuals who do the work, but I am reluctant to give a figure in case it is wrong. If the Deputy wishes, I can come back to him with a breakdown for each directorate and tell him who is involved.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I am just getting a note on that for the Deputy. If I receive the answer for him during this hearing, I will give it to him.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: If the Deputy does not mind.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (28 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Let me go back to the Deputy’s earlier question on the €250,000. This relates to pension payments that have been made to bodies under the aegis of the Department of Finance as opposed to officials within it. The official pension figures are covered elsewhere. I can get more detail on the subhead for the Deputy if he wants. The figure refers to responsible agencies, and the...