Results 581-600 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Tourism Industry. (31 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: A good quality second-hand relatively new car - I do not refer to one that is five or ten years old - would be better than no car at all if it is offered at a good rate.

Tourism Industry. (31 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: When I spoke of the survey of the costs, it was comparing capital cities. Differences will be found in price when one compares the west with parts of Scotland. Regarding the subsidies introduced several years ago, in 1992 the average payment was approximately €900 but gave only 1,260 cars extra. Even the whole value of the subsidy scheme is questionable. I am looking forward to...

Tourism Industry. (31 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The report of the tourism renewal group, published in October 2009, set out the tourism sector's contribution to Ireland's economic and social development and its prospects in a changed world economy. It made recommendations in the form of a framework for action for tourism survival, recovery and growth from 2009 to 2013. This framework contains five survival actions to minimise the impact...

Tourism Industry. (31 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I thank Deputy Upton for her good wishes and I look forward to working with her. The real point is when are we going to implement the recommendations set out in the survival and the recovery actions. As I outlined earlier, some have been already implemented by the important agencies, such as Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, which have the responsibility for delivering them. Some of the...

Tourism Industry. (31 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: Tourism is an essential part of North-South co-operation which is why we are able to market Ireland as the island of Ireland. My ministerial counterpart in the North, Arlene Foster, has a keen interest in this and I look forward to working with her. I note Aosdána will hold its first meeting in Northern Ireland soon. There is great potential for further co-operation on a North-South...

Irish Sports Council. (31 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 69 together. The Irish Sports Council , ISC, funded by my Department, is the statutory body responsible for the promotion, development and co-ordination of sport which includes responsibility for dealing with the recognised sporting organisations and allocation of funding to same. The ISC was established on a statutory basis on 1 July 1999 and its...

Irish Sports Council. (31 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I accept it is taxpayers' money. Deputy Mitchell tossed out a figure of €1 million but nowhere was that figure mentioned - certainly not of that scale. Irrespective of the sum, it is taxpayers' money and one must be accountable for it. The report was sought on 15 March so I am not surprised it has not yet been presented to me. When it is, I will carefully consider it and I will then...

Irish Sports Council. (31 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: Just Sport Ireland is new to me but I am quite impressed by what it aims to do and the low level of awards granted as a result of mediation it is involved in. I understand that body has been working with national governing bodies to ensure a provision for arbitration is included in rules and regulations as a matter of course. Some 18 organisations have included the provision and it is a...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (30 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The salaries of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), or equivalents, of the agencies under the aegis of my Department are as set out in Table 1 below. The details of the current approved benefits packages of these CEOs, or equivalents, are as set out in Table 2 below. In addition, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (30 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes, as published in July 2009, made a number of recommendations in respect of my Department and the agencies under its aegis. Specifically, the Special Group made proposals to reduce programme expenditure by almost €105 million in 2010 and to structurally reduce 170 staff across the Department and its...

Written Answers — Departmental Property: Departmental Property (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 162 together. My Department is not currently leasing any properties from property landlords or to business.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: ): On Report Stage in the Dáil the Minister for Finance agreed to accept an amendment proposed by Deputy Burton. The amendment requires that a report be prepared for Dáil Éireann on the tax forgone and the benefits in terms of job creation or otherwise arising from tax expenditure included in the finance Bill 2010. While the Minister was happy to accept the amendment, he was concerned...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: Again.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I will clarify the point raised by Senator Twomey. I thank the three Senators for their kind comments. The cost-benefit analysis to which Senator Twomey referred was only for capital expenditure, but the Commission on Taxation suggested there should be a cost-benefit analysis of all of the tax expenditure. The Minister for Finance agrees with this and is coming back to the Cabinet in June...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I am sorry, but I understood that the next recommendation was on pensions. Is that not correct?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I beg pardon. I appear to have matters in the wrong order. This issue has been debated in the Dáil as well. We understand that the cost of the recommendation proposed by Senator Twomey would likely be in the order of €16 million per annum, with a total cost of €64 million over the lifetime of the proposal. It is very difficult to justify these costs in our current economic...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I agree with everything the three Senators have said. The Minister for Finance would be favourably disposed towards such a move. However, Senator White put his finger on the issue in that there may be a need for legislation, regulations or, at least, rules of court to allow periodic payments to be made. The President of the High Court has already asked Mr. Justice Quirke to establish and...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: As the Senator knows, having a Law Reform Commission report and the required legislation in place are two very different things. I am not in any way at odds with the Senator, nor is the Minister for Finance. In fact, we are favourably disposed to doing exactly what he wants to do. However, given that the report to Mr. Justice Quirke is due by the end of November, I hope we will be in a...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: This section makes a number of changes to certain pension-related tax provisions contained in the Taxes Consolidation Act. The section restates the formula used for calculating the annual notional distribution amount from an approved retirement fund which amount is subject to tax at the fund-owner's marginal income tax rate. The restatement is to clarify and to put beyond doubt that the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage. (25 Mar 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The Senator is right in the first part of his contribution. This is designed to ensure older people who would be a high risk in health insurance would not have to pay much higher premiums. It will address the issues raised in the court. It is a temporary measure for three years until other legislation on a further scheme is introduced.