Results 5,781-5,800 of 32,433 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: What element of it was the Deputy against? What element would he have done differently?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: As for the closure of our economy, I fully accept that it-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: -----had an effect on so many. Yes, the level of closure that we had was higher than many but so was the number of deaths that we were successful in preventing within our country. I refer to the loss of life and the number of people we were able to help not get this disease. Those who had the disease in our country also fared fairly well. However, as I said, I know there are thousands of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The EU Commission published a proposal on the reform of VAT rates in January 2018 which would allow member states more flexibility in how they apply VAT rates. As the compromise text agreed at the meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, ECOFIN, in December has been amended significantly in comparison to the original proposal, the European Parliament will once again be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I am very aware of the really important role that defibrillators play in sporting and voluntary clubs all over our country. I see them in many clubs that I go into. In terms of what will happen, firstly, the European Parliament has to come back with an opinion on the decision that has been made by the finance ministers at the meeting of ECOFIN. When the Parliament comes back with that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The reduced areas of flexibility refer to two new limitations that will be on member states. They are included in the third annexe of the current proposal. The first limitation will limit member states to applying a 0% rate to no more than seven value added taxable categories. The second limitation will limit member states to using a maximum of 24 categories to which a reduced rate can be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I have no issue at all with making the terms of reference of the review publicly available. I will be happy to publish them. I do not want to do it at the expense of slowing down this process but there is no reason we cannot publish the terms of reference and make them available to the Deputy. The organisation will be external to the Department of Finance, as is frequently the case with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The cost for 2021 was €191 million. It is the case that the total cost since the scheme was introduced in 2017 was €568 million. I agree with the Deputy regarding the essential role that public or social housing needs to play in ensuring that we have an overall housing policy capable of working more effectively. That is why more than 6,000 social or public homes will be built...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The total cost of the temporary wage subsidy scheme, TWSS, and employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, was €10.26 billion. The schemes have played a role in protecting the jobs of up to 690,000 people in our country.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy is the person who opposed the use of vaccination certificates for the reopening of the hospitality sector. I say to him time and again that he was against the closure of our economy and country but that when we tried to reopen them safely, he was against that as well. He was against both. I accept that the lockdown lasted many months. The Government accepted the impact it had...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme provides relief from VRT and VAT on the purchase and use of an adapted car, as well as an exemption from motor tax and an annual fuel grant. There has been ongoing engagement between officials in my Department and both the Ombudsman and the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal since 2017 and I met with members of the board in March...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: As I said, my officials who have been in contact with the board regularly alerted me to the concerns the board had about the operation of the scheme. When I met members of the board last year, which I did via a video conference, they informed me that they had very significant concerns regarding the operation of the scheme. They emphasised what other bodies have already done, the need for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I am very much aware that there are adults and children, citizens of our State, who are already grappling with such need in their lives and are expecting there to be a speedy appeal process in place. Of course I am aware of the assessments that have been offered of this scheme for so long. As I said to the House a few moments ago, I very much regret that the board members who were operating...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Economic Policy (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Many of these businesses still have a number of months of Covid support available to them in the form of the employment wage subsidy scheme. I acknowledge that the Deputy has made a number of constructive suggestions over the last two years to change the operation of the employment wage subsidy scheme and the Covid restrictions support scheme,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy, who raised this issue with me just in the week before Christmas. Where it stands at the moment is that I will soon sign off the terms of reference for this report. We will procure an independent consultant to the Department to carry out this work. I expect that will all be done in the next few weeks.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: -----and why we also have the Land Development Agency in place, which the Deputy is against-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: -----and why we have the shared equity scheme. I am well used to this from the Deputy. I said earlier, and he knows this is the case, that where the tax is paid, that is when the income is distributed from the fund. That is where the tax is liable. It is liable at 20%. It is liable at 25%. That is where the tax is paid. This was the case with the debate we had earlier on climate. The...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: Again, the Deputy will not acknowledge the reality that where the tax is paid is where the income is distributed.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I appreciate the challenges many people are facing and I know the issues the Deputy raises are ones that too many are confronting. As I said in the debate earlier on carbon taxation, to be emerging from the very dark and difficult pandemic, with all that it meant for employment and income, for many to have to confront rising prices on top of this is a bridge that is hard for many to cross....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I am increasingly being struck by the tone, particularly from some Members of the Rural Independent Group, and the venom with which the word "tax" is used. It is extraordinary for a Deputy of the far left, such as Deputy Boyd Barrett, who I would have thought understands the role taxes play in providing public services on which our country depends, to do so. These are taxes that I know are...