Results 3,381-3,400 of 6,508 for speaker:Ruairí Ó Murchú

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: If I am producer I get section 481 funding and I put the money into a designated activity company, DAC. This DAC will last for the time it takes to make the production. Within this are whatever costs are incurred. We are not quite sure about the end product of this. Whatever about what must be given to the Revenue Commissioners for ticking the boxes, we do not know who owns what...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Beyond that is the question of how the section impacts on film workers. We have referred to the industry development test and, within that, quality employment, but the film workers are all self-employed. A department head either rings people up or does not, whichever the case may be. This is almost a pre-1913 operation.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: A number of the witnesses have been involved in advocating for their rights, so they do not get the calls.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Am I right in believing that is happening to a greater degree now?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: No, I was going to say there are experienced staff who are not getting the calls. Who is getting the calls?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Are these trainees?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Whose?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: The workers are on their own, there is no representation and they have been failed. Many of us would have believed Screen Ireland and so on would have had some element of representation from crews and others working in the industry.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Going back to section 481, people may or may not be aware of a production funded under this provision that seemed to go bust recently. Again, it probably adds to what was said about the lack of due diligence. I would have understood it as being necessary to have all the finance in place before the State would throw any money in. It is just-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Right.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: By whatever means, the one thing we will all agree on is that there needs to be an element of due diligence, which would mean that we would see this process happening beforehand or that there would be protections in place to ensure we did not end up in this type of situation. Turning to another point, when we talk about materials being bought with taxpayers' money and then being leased...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Right. That DAC then disappears.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It is a new DAC by this stage.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It is a good set-up.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I thank Mr. O'Brien and Ms Quinn. I also thank the committee for dealing with this issue. I understand that Irish Equity supports section 481, albeit with a significant number of caveats. Anybody listening in on this would have significant worries and caveats in relation to section 481. In fairness, Mr. O'Brien largely dealt with the issue of copyright. Ms Quinn backed him up in the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It definitely does. For that intellectual investment, it is about ensuring intellectual payment for the likes of Mr. O'Brien, as well as for the taxpayer, rather than the money going into a DAC, the DAC disappearing and the value being owned by an entity we are not sure of. We should make sure we do the due diligence so actors are looked after, as well as the taxpayer, and ensure we have a...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: A better system with all the checks and balances.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Conference on the Future of Europe and the General Affairs Council: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I add my voice in expressing sympathy to the family of Rory Mason. Everyone was very taken with his father's tribute this morning. In fairness, he involved himself in a fight that was not his and he paid the ultimate price. We discussed some of these points in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe. That was definitely a process that improved as it went. It started with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Conference on the Future of Europe and the General Affairs Council: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I again offer my words of sympathy to the family of Rory Mason. We were all very taken with the sentiments that his dad expressed in the tribute we heard earlier today. As I said, the world has changed considerably over the last period and we are all having very different conversations and worries that we would have a number of years ago. I refer to interaction with other European...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Sector Tax Credits: Discussion (5 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I wish to ask about working conditions on current productions. I imagine there is a significant number of experienced staff-----