Results 41,761-41,780 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Seanad: Finance (Tax Appeals) Bill 2015: Second Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: The purpose of this Bill is to provide for reforms of the role, functions and structure of the Office of the Appeal Commissioner and the tax appeals system. The overall objective is to ensure an enhanced and cost-effective appeal mechanism for tax cases, while providing transparency and increased certainty for taxpayers. The Appeal Commissioners are responsible for carrying out the...

Seanad: Finance (Tax Appeals) Bill 2015: Second Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: I sincerely thank the Senators who contributed to this debate and, indeed, for the broad welcome that all Senators have given to this reforming legislation. The reform of the tax appeal system will bring positive reform of the role, the functions and the structure of the Office of the Appeals Commissioner and of the tax appeals system. It will serve a dual function: first, in providing...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: I am pleased to present the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015 to the House. The Bill passed all stages in the Dáil last Friday. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission came into existence on 1 January 2004 under the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003. The founding of the commission through legislation passed in 2003 had two consequences: the...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: I thank all Senators who took part in the debate for their very constructive responses to the Bill. To take up Senator Moloney's point, and in my role as Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, it is important that we remember that while this building is a Parliament, it is also a historic building which we have a duty to protect and preserve.There are a number of things that need...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: I thank the officials who worked so diligently on the Bill to get it through both Houses. I thank Senators for their constructive engagement on the Bill. I will relay their views to the Minister, Deputy Howlin, although it sounds like he is very aware of them.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: I imagine all the issues will be a matter for the next Dáil to consider.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Prevention Measures (16 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: The Office of Public Works (OPW), along with the local authorities in Co Meath, Fingal and Dublin City carried out the River Tolka Flood Relief Scheme from 2003 to 2011. The works in the Meath area were completed between 2003 and 2007 at a cost of €6.8m. The Mornington Flood Relief Scheme was completed in 2013 at a cost of €3.93m, and during 2015 the OPW carried out direct...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Status (16 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: Following the formal public exhibition of the proposed flood relief scheme for Templemore which took place in March/April of 2015, work on finalising the detailed design of the scheme has been ongoing. This has involved necessary consultations with relevant stakeholders. The Office of Public Works is working to progress the scheme as quickly as possible and hopes to submit the scheme to the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Prevention Measures (16 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: The specific areas mentioned by the Deputy are within the Drainage District of Cavan County Council. Drainage Districts are areas where drainage schemes to improve land for agricultural purposes were constructed prior to the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945. The statutory duty of maintenance for these schemes lies with the Local Authorities concerned. The Office of Public Works (OPW) carries out...

Topical Issue Debate: Flood Prevention Measures (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: I join with Deputy Dooley in paying tribute to those people he has rightly highlighted as heroes in the response to the very bad weather. I too was struck by the story of the huge ordeal the Kinsella family has gone through and I pay tribute to them for their major efforts. It is important to note that the CFRAM process will reduce the time it takes to deliver a scheme by about two years....

Topical Issue Debate: Flood Prevention Measures (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: I agree.

Topical Issue Debate: Flood Prevention Measures (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I agree with his initial comments and have said a number of times in the past week or ten days that politicians, regardless of political persuasion, donning wellies and standing around looking sympathetic will not serve much purpose. I visited Bandon and Skibbereen yesterday because the county council had passed a motion calling on me to...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2015: Second and Subsequent Stages (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: The Appropriation Bill 2015 is an essential element of financial housekeeping that, as Members of the Seanad are aware, must be concluded by both Houses of the Oireachtas this year. The Bill serves two primary purposes. First, it is necessary to authorise in law all the expenditure that has been undertaken in 2015 on the basis of the Estimates that already have been agreed during the year....

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2015: Second and Subsequent Stages (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: I thank all Senators for their constructive contributions to what is a technical item of legislation.To pick up where Senator Hayden left off, I agree that it is worth giving time to scrutinise this legislation because that would be a useful overview of where we find ourselves in terms of the public finances. Undoubtedly, the economic crisis had a profound impact on those finances. When the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Funding (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: No application has been received to date by the Office of Public Works (OPW) under its Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme from Kerry County Council (KCC) for Kenmare, Co Kerry. However, it remains open to KCC to apply to the OPW for funding under this Scheme for mitigation measures that meet the Scheme's eligibility criteria, including a requirement that the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: The Office of Public Works (OPW) carries out an annual programme of Arterial Drainage Maintenance to a total of 11,500km of river channel and approximately 730km of embankments. This OPW programme maintains those arterial drainage schemes completed by the OPW under the Arterial Drainage Act 1945. The maintenance ensure the schemes are kept in proper repair and in an effective condition to the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: Limerick City and County Council (LCCC) developed a flood relief scheme for Foynes and received approval for the proposed scheme under Part viii of the Planning and Development Act. The Local Authority sought approval from the Office of Public Works to fund the scheme and this approval has been issued. LCCC is currently in discussions with Iarnród Éireann in relation to the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Coastal Protection (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: The Office of Public Works is not the competent authority under planning regulations or foreshore regulations/legislation to grant any sort of temporary permission to carry out emergency coastal erosion preventative works. This is a matter for the Local Authority or, in the case of Foreshore licences, the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. The only approval that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Prevention Measures (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: The core strategy for addressing the significant areas at significant risk and impact from flooding in Donegal, is the Office of Public Works' (OPW) Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. Donegal has 27 locations among the 300 locations nationwide that are being assessed under the Programme the purpose of which is to implement the EU Floods Directive and national...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Funding (15 Dec 2015)

Simon Harris: The Office of Public Works (OPW) does not provide funding to Local Authorities to carry out drainage maintenance works. The OPW carries out its own programme of Arterial Drainage Maintenance. A total of 11,500km of river channel form part of the Arterial Drainage Schemes, and approximately 730km of embankments. While new Arterial Drainage Schemes are no longer being undertaken, the OPW has a...