Results 6,081-6,100 of 32,433 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I met the ombudsman and members of his management team a few weeks ago. They raised no issues with me regarding the Vote. I do not have the information with me today on the progress the ombudsman has made on dealing with issues, but my understanding is that despite the impact of Covid on the operation and functioning of the ombudsman, the office has been successful in resolving many issues...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I have discussed this matter with my officials on many occasions during my time as Minister in the context of Finance Bills and other debates that have taken place but it is not my role to direct the Revenue to do anything in relation to this. They are independent in the exercise of their functions. Deputy Mairéad Farrell will be aware, from the appearances of the Revenue Commissioners...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I have not had a conversation with the Revenue on this specific matter. That is a matter which my officials would raise with them. On a number of occasions, I have raised this issue with my officials. This is a matter of those aspects that relate to the development of policy. I have raised this and discussed it with my officials on a number of occasions. In relation to the execution of...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: In fairness, I am here presenting the Estimates of the Revenue Commissioners to the committee. I am not aware of the 1997 agreement that the Deputy is referring to. I re-emphasise it is not my role to mandate the Revenue Commissioners to initiate an investigation into this. If the Revenue Commissioners believes this matter merits investigation, they themselves would do so. It is not my...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The Comptroller and Auditor General is fully independent in the exercise of his functions. The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General is associated with my Department's Vote for reasons of history. As far as I can recollect, the Minister for Finance has always brought forward its Vote but it is fully independent of us in the exercise of its roles and, as the Deputy will be aware, has...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The Revenue Commissioners have done an exceptional job over the past number of years as we have confronted the darker moments of the pandemic. I note the role that they have played in two different areas. The first was the exercise of their key function of collecting tax across that period, and doing so in a way that reflected the exceptional circumstances that taxpayers were in. They...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I certainly have no plans to refer any more services or collection roles to the Revenue. They have a full agenda as it is. I look at the work they will be doing this year. The zoned land tax is a big example. There is the work that is under way now as we exit the employment wage subsidy scheme. Their agenda is full now with the delivery of their core functions and I have no plans to...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The vast majority of it has been very well spent. As to whether any detailed evaluation of the use of that funding and the operation of the scheme occurred, I do not believe it has yet, or not in a substantial way. Obviously, the scheme is scheme is still functioning. We are about to commence the exit strategy from that scheme. I anticipate that in the months and years ahead a large...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The sector itself thinks it was absolutely vital. The operation of that scheme in particular has been acknowledged by the sector as something that was incredibly timely and helpful for it. The Deputy will remember we introduced the scheme in the context of budget 2021. At that point we were literally about to go into another phase of our economy being shut down. Businesses that were going...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: There is neither time nor need for a bow. We had many employers we needed to help. I hope they can all successfully reopen. That is the most important thing. We now need to move ahead with trying to exit this scheme in a careful way, which is what we are trying to do. As we move through the second half of this year and see a jobs market that does not have the EWSS in place, I hope we...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: It is worth noting that across the period in which the current public service wage agreement was in place we had inflation levels significantly below the figures the Deputy is referring to for November and December. If we look at the period for 2020 we actually had some modest deflation of 0.5%. For 2021 the average inflation level across that period was 2.5%, although it increased very...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: Again, it is in recognition of the challenges society is facing that we have made the changes that formed the core part of our budget day measures. We have made changes in personal tax credits. We have made changes to the level at which a person pays the higher rate of income tax in our country exactly in anticipation of the issues the Deputy is referring to. We have measures in place in...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I have addressed that particular issue on other occasions before this committee. I was a member of the Government that agreed to this appointment. I was also aware of and supported the process that led to it happening. I know that the committee has strong views on it. The Secretary General of the Department of Health is an important post. The role of the Department of Health has been...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: Later in the year, we will have engagement with the public service unions on a future wage agreement. That matter will be led by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, who I will fully support. Our public servants have played a vital role in the delivery of public services during the pandemic. We look to recognise those who have been most immediately on the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: Regarding the two specific questions posed to me, and starting with the warehousing of tax liabilities, the policy in this regard is and will be that companies availing of the ability to warehouse their tax liabilities will have a 12-month period in which no interest will be charged. After that point, they will move to an interest rate of 3%. For many companies that will be affected by...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I will answer that question generally. That matter will be dealt with by the Department of Justice in future and paid for through funding allocated to An Garda Síochána. Therefore, there will be a change regarding the costs of the current arrangement, because the Garda will now have responsibility for Ministers, as individual circumstances change.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: There has not been a change in the number of agencies audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. There has been no increase. To consider the present position, while there has been a slight decrease in the overall Vote for that office, it still has an Estimate for this year of €9.4 million. It is a considerable sum, which reflects the importance of the office.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: We have increased the number of staff available to the Comptroller and Auditor General and responded to a request for additional reporting staff in his organisation to deepen the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General and help him in the discharge of his functions. The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General has 199 whole-time equivalents planned for 2022; at the end of 2021, the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The responsibility for the use of money in higher education, first and foremost, should sit with the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The Chairman has raised in the past a number of issues related to the use of funding. There have been some issues that the Committee of Public Accounts has looked into. I believe one of the rationales for the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
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) (26 Jan 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: There is not a policy change planned in relation to the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General but our desire to support that body in the discharge of its important role is demonstrated by the increase in staffing it will receive across this year.