Results 6,541-6,560 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: That is not for what the section provides.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: I cannot see that somebody, to advantage himself or herself, would withhold information at the start of the process and then provide it during the appeals process. I cannot see how that advantages anybody in the long term. No matter what the Minister of State says, if the information was not given or falls into the category specified in the notice it cannot be used in an appeal even if the...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Is the Minister of State telling me that information which comes to light subsequent to the initial certificate but before the appeal can be used at appeals stage?

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: That is not what I asked. What about tribunal stage?

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Will the Minister of State outline the intention behind amendment No. 62?

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: What about amendment No. 62? The Minister of State did not mention it.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: In the context of amendment No. 53, I was astonished to hear the Minister of State refer to fair procedures and to fairness with regard to the commissioner having access to certain information. That is outrageous. We are referring here to taxpayers. It appears that we do not want to give the latter an advantage over the officials or the Department. That is the wrong base from which to...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Could I make a general query about the delegated functions that are being assigned under this section and the amendments facilitating that? Can the Minister explain why this is necessary? Not every organisation or every part of the State operates in such a way that a junior officer needs statutory functions to carry out tasks. I wonder why it is necessary here.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: The general point I am trying to make is that this highlights the archaic nature of this system - that we must appoint people who are mid-ranking civil servants essentially as statutory officers. I do not think it is necessary. For example, I do not think Irish Water has statutory positions, although perhaps it does. Here it is so old-fashioned, archaic and complicated that we must pass a...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: I am not complaining; I am querying it.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: If it must be done, it must be done. We will not stand in the way of that.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: In respect of the provision being changed by the Minister of State, he describes it as streamlining the process - a valuation would be submitted and would not be substituted by the person valuing the premises but by the office itself. The Minister of State is taking a further step away from the reforms announced by the Government two years ago. We welcomed these reforms and really only...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Why has it been on the shelves of the Seanad for years?

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: We did. We introduced legislation in 2001 from which the Minister of State quoted. He quoted 14 years.

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister of State has resorted to the stock response of "What did Fianna Fáil do in 14 years?", which is becoming very tiresome. They talk about 14 years in power. During those 14 years of government, we were amending a Bill we brought in in 2001 so the idea that we did nothing is wrong. The reason people are giving out to the Minister of State about this Bill not being brought...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: I wish to ask a question on amendment No. 28. Subsection (j) states: "the specification of geographical areas within the rating authority area that shall be, or shall not be, the subject of valuation under the regulations.”. Does that concern the trial period for this or the test case that will be launched at the start? Can the Minister of State explain that further?

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: We are at a serious juncture with this Bill. I suggest that when the Cabinet and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, proposed the introduction of a self-assessment or partial self-assessment process, this was what they intended. When the Bill was approved by Cabinet in August 2012, the Minister in his press release made a big issue of this and on numerous...

Seanad: Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: We have already had a discussion on the appeals process and our problems with it. Serious problems have been raised and we take issue with the idea there is a robust appeals process and have mentioned the Constitution in that regard. I am aware that even this morning the Department's officials had meetings regarding the appeals process. How, therefore, the Minister of State can say he is...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Appointments to State Boards (7 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: As usual, I ask the Minister to answer the questions I asked. She has failed to answer the questions yet again. That is a travesty of democracy. I want it to be clear that we are not trying to make a scapegoat of any Fine Gael official. It is the Taoiseach and the Minister who are making a scapegoat of an unnamed Fine Gael official. Deputy Humphreys is the Minister and Deputy Kenny is...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Appointments to State Boards (7 Oct 2014)

Thomas Byrne: We have many more questions for the Minister if the Acting Chairman will allow it.