Results 5,701-5,720 of 36,138 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Schemes (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: 45. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if grant funding to aid the implementation of environmentally friendly and energy efficient changes is available for a business (details supplied) in County Donegal; the application process to access such funding if available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7573/23]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: 73. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if, in discussions with the EU Commission, the Government has raised the extending of the Peace IV Programme in order that projects that received funding can be completed; if he is aware that work will not begin on a project (details supplied) due to delays in An Bord Pleanála and in the Department of Housing, Local Government and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: 197. To ask the Minister for Health if the paediatric care for a child (details supplied) can transfer to another hospital closer to their new home having moved address; the process to apply for such a transfer of care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7638/23]

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. We will just start into some of the Estimates. I will focus on Vote 7, the Department of Finance. We can see that funding for travel and subsistence, which includes expenditure incurred by officers of the Minister and Minister of State, has increased by 21% or €190,000. What is the reason for the significant increase in this subhead?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister is planning to spend double what was spent last year in travel and subsistence within his Department. He is planning to spend €0.5 million more than was spent last year. Could that really be accounted for by Covid-19?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: It is not modest; it is 21%. There are not many Departments that get a 21% increase in expenditure. It is far from modest.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: What was the outturn before the pandemic?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: On premises and accommodation expenses, which provide for the maintenance, heating, lighting, furniture and fitting costs of Department buildings, the figure has increased by 15% from €166,000 to €1.25 million. What is the reason for this increase and what will this additional allocation be spent on?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Subhead A3, which includes committees and commissions, provides for a cost for the disabled drivers' medical board of appeal, which the Minister mentioned in his opening statement, with an allocation of €370,000. This has been a disaster for those who have been waiting for decisions on appeals and has been very difficult for the board members, who resigned en masse in 2021. The...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate the Minister has not seen the report but he has had the benefit of a conversation or briefing with-----

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: He has had a conversation with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, on it. As the Minister mentioned, we are all aware there are problems with the criteria. The criteria need to change, and that will include people who should be included anyway. Is the Minister committed to the principle that this scheme will cost more because the rigid criteria, which have led to the entire board...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: I have raised that point in relation to one of the other fundamental unfairnesses in relation to the report in terms of those on lower incomes not benefitting appropriately from the scheme. The Ombudsman's report has highlighted this and case studies related to that point. We have had a board resign over inaction from the former Minister for Finance, which I would argue was driven from a...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: I do not think anybody is suggesting the Minister intervene with Revenue concerning an individual taxpayer. It would be highly inappropriate to change the law for one individual. This is about pointing out that for certain individuals with severe and permanent disabilities, even when they get into the scheme and are approved under it, it is worthless to them because the work cannot be...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate that. On subhead A4, which deals with consultancy and other services, we see a number of such services. Some €750,000 is allocated to services for the economic and fiscal policy for 2023, which provides for research projects, economic analysis and forecasting. This is consultancy. Subhead B4 includes consultancy and other services on banking and financial services...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: We might come back to that at a later point through questions on the floor of the Dáil. We are looking at fiscal economic analysis and so on in terms of consultancy. Let us look at the issue in the context of mortgage costs. The Minister sat for many years beside me and argued about high interest rates. In 2017, he celebrated it as a great Fianna Fáil victory that mortgage...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Let us be clear. That is exactly why we proposed the type of proposal that we did. We are not asking for this to be recurrent or for it to last indefinitely.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Depending on the ranges, which depend on where variable interest rates will increase, it costs between €350 million to €400 million.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
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) (15 Feb 2023)

Pearse Doherty: It will last until December, until the end of the year. It is based on a reference rate, which is June of last year. The State would absorb 30% of the portion of the increased interest since June of last year. The beneficiaries would be people who would have seen increased interest rates since June of last year, which is a result of the ECB hikes. The State would not take on all of the...