Results 42,521-42,540 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: Group 1 comprises amendments Nos. 1 and 6. I am pleased to be back in the Seanad, where we had a good hearing of this Bill and made a number of improvements to it based on suggestions from Senators on all sides of the House. In the Dáil we made one more improvement based on a suggestion by Deputy Sean Fleming and I need to bring that amendment to the House. There are also a number of...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: These are very technical amendments. In regard to amendment No. 2, the wording of the Bill was referring to a subparagraph (b) of paragraph (13) of Schedule 2. There is more than one subparagraph (b) and paragraph (13) of Schedule 2. This amendment makes it absolutely clear where the new clause (c) is being inserted. On amendment No. 4, section 44 referenced section 30(1). For clarity,...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: Amendment No. 3 is a simple technical amendment to renumber a paragraph. Since the Bill was passed in the Seanad, there has been amendment to Schedule 4 of the Valuation Act 2001 to insert a new paragraph (21). Therefore, the new paragraph that this Bill is inserting to exempt not-for-profit child care will now be paragraph (22). The citation is being updated by amendment No. 5 to reflect...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: I too am very proud that, in both Houses but particularly in this House on a Seanad-initiated Bill, we had a debate that made a number of improvements to the valuations system and to the Bill as presented to the House. I acknowledge the constructive role played by Senators, including Senator Byrne, in that process. I believe the situation we have ended up with for sports clubs is now more...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: That is absolutely my understanding.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: The Senator is correct that body of work will have to be done. We are giving an undertaking that it will be done so we are ready to go for 2016. The Senator's comment on the length of time it has taken to pass the Bill is valid on one level. This is a Bill that has, for want of a better word, been hanging around since 2012. However, since I became Minister of State in July, it is also fair...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: We are not in the business of trying to take on an extra body of work as we have a massive amount of work to get through. The purpose of passing this Bill is to get through it as expeditiously as possible. We are in the business of trying to see what relief can be afforded to clubs that have been paying rates but which may no longer have to pay rates on the entire entity they had to pay...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: The bar and the commercial areas as defined in the Bill.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: I always try, when I sit in this seat, not to be in any way partisan during the passage of legislation but the Senator is provoking me at this stage. I would make the point that my party, when in opposition, was in the other House proposing amendments that would have provided relief a number of years ago to these sports clubs along these lines. It was rejected by the previous Government....

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: We do not differ on this. I have given the Senator the assurance I received from the Valuation Office. I do not believe we have watered down the provision but have arrived at an effective measure which will make an improvement for these sports clubs. If the Senator sees any evidence to the contrary, it is an issue which I would happy to explore with him. However, I do not expect that he will.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: The wind farm issue is one on which we had a lengthy discussion in the other House. It was interesting that no Member in the other House proposed any amendment. That is a recognition of the fact that it is more complex than it looks.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: The wind energy sector is not seeking a complete exemption from rates but it has proposed amendments, which have not reached the floor of either House, to reduce its rates liability. The Limerick revaluation, like all revaluations, redistributes the rates burden based on contemporary property values. A revaluation can cause significant shifts in rates liability between different sectors,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Coastal Protection (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: The identification and carrying out of necessary coastal protection works is a matter for each Local Authority. Local Authorities may carry out such works using their own resources. They may also apply to the Office of Public Works (OPW) for funding under the latter's Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. The Scheme's eligibility criteria, including a requirement that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Properties (16 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: The former Garda Station at Easkey, Co. Sligo has been identified for disposal and the necessary legal documentation has been submitted to the Chief State Solicitor's Office who are preparing a Contract for Sale. The property will be sold by public auction during the second half of 2015.

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

Simon Harris: The outline design of the Flood Relief Scheme for Cork City and Blackpool is currently being finalised, with formal Public Exhibition of the proposals planned to take place in the third quarter of this year. Subject to a successful Exhibition, and statutory approval by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform following an independent review of the Scheme's Environmental Impact...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Risk Assessments (15 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: I am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that the closing of a section of drain has not affected the summer drainage of lands belonging to the landowner mentioned in this question, as these lands were not included as benefitting land in the Corrib Mask Drainage Scheme and a visit by an OPW engineer confirmed this fact. In this particular case the only drainage outfall is a swallow...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Scéim Oibreacha agus Cosanta Cósta (15 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: I gCinneadh Rialtais dar dáta 11ú Feabhra 2014, leithdháileadh maoiniú suas chuig €19.6m in iomlán um dheisiú ar chosaint phoiblí an chósta agus ar infreastruchtúr cosanta i gcoinne tuilte, a bhí ar fáil cheana agus a ndearnadh díobháil dóibh le linn na droch-aimsire i ndeireadh 2013 agus i dtús 2014; bhí...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Garda Station Closures (15 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: The former Garda Station at Easkey, Co. Sligo has been identified for disposal and the necessary legal documentation has been submitted to the Chief State Solicitor's Office who are preparing a Contract for Sale. The property will be sold by public auction during the second half of 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Risk Assessments (15 Apr 2015)

Simon Harris: Responsibility for identifying and implementing appropriate measures to address flood risk at Bellurgan, County Louth rests with Louth County Council (LCC) in the first instance and it is open to LCC to utilise its own resources to undertake any works required on the Bellurgan embankment. LCC, with the support of funding provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW), engaged consultants in...