Results 61-80 of 32,924 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Job Creation (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: We need to look at all policies available to the Government in order to see how to make more progress in this area. Having been out and about with the Deputy a number of months ago in many of the towns in the constituency he represents, I am aware of the variety of employers located there. Due to the fact that we now have such a diverse set of employers in Ireland, we need to take a step...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Job Creation (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I agree with the Deputy. As he stated, this is an important achievement that the Government has to try to sustain. The Ireland in which I began my education did not have this level of employment. There is much we know we need to do better on and every TD on the Government benches is aware of the difficulties that we face and that we committed to trying to deal with. At the same time,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fiscal Policy (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I will look at that issue. I am struck, despite what I said, by the number of premises I now walk into, like shops and cafés, that say "card only". I can understand completely the benefits they get in that regard. There are benefits to the economy overall as well in being able to record transactions and look at how tax is collected. However, I go back to the point I agreed on a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fiscal Policy (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I would be reluctant to give that commitment to the Deputy here today because I would need to consider whether that would have any unintended consequences regarding policies we have on the legal tender of cash. That is now being developed within the European Union. As I said to the Deputy, I will look at the matter. I want to ensure that citizens do not in any way feel excluded from our...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Job Creation (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 21 together. It is always a privilege to be here as regularly as I am to answer the important questions Deputies put to me and to respond to the Dáil. I want to highlight where we are from a jobs point of view in Ireland. It is a really positive development in our economy overall. Total employment in the last year alone went up by 90,000...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Yield (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I was careful in my answer. I said that the increases in carbon taxes since I introduced this measure in the Finance Act 2020 have been ring-fenced. Before I put in place the increases to which we are referring, there had been a base carbon tax, which was the foundation for all of this and the revenue from which goes to pay for public services. The Deputy stated that it said something...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fiscal Policy (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The Future Ireland Fund and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund were established in 2024 following the passage of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Act through the Oireachtas. The majority of the Act commenced on 30 July 2024. The funds seek to future-proof the public finances and deal with future challenges such as our country growing older,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fiscal Policy (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The day-to-day management of the funds is done by the National Treasury Management Agency. The NTMA is preparing long-term investment strategies for both funds that will then be subject to consultation with the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. These strategies are being reviewed and will then be signed off on by the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fiscal Policy (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I would expect those kinds of issues to be considered carefully by those involved in investing this money, which we are now building up. We had a debate last night on this topic in the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach where I said that I am reluctant to put in place lots of legislation and restrictions regarding how...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fiscal Policy (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Act 2025 is the result of a recommendation in the Department of Finance’s 2022 review of retail banking. The objectives of the Act are to ensure sufficient and effective access to cash in the State; to put in place a framework to manage future changes to the cash infrastructure in a fair, orderly, equitable and transparent...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy is raising the strong views of his constituents on this issue. One of the many points of questions like this is for the Deputy to raise issues his constituents want him to raise and for me to do my best to explain why we are doing or not doing what he wants. As I said, the concern I have is that in addition to the difficulties we have with building more homes, we need to ensure...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I have given the view on the scheme as clearly as I can. I completely understand where the Deputy is coming from and why he is raising the issue. As I said, it is really important that any changes we make at a time in which supply is still not increasing at the speed we want do not add to inflationary difficulties. I will take on board what he said.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Yield (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The Finance Act 2020 legislated for annual increases in the carbon tax rate of €7.50 until 2029, along with a final increment of €6.50, bringing the rate to €100 per tonne of carbon dioxide in 2030, with current rates based on charging €63.50 per tonne of CO2 emissions. Under the programme for Government, it has been agreed to continue with the planned carbon tax...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Yield (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: This is a revenue-collecting measure that pays for public services and improvements in those things that can make a difference to a greener future for Ireland. Annual increases in carbon tax have been ring-fenced to ensure that this money is used to fund the development of better infrastructure across our country, help with the cost of fuel poverty and fund things we know our country needs...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Reliefs (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I will deal with the different issues that have been raised. I take on board the overall point that the Deputy is making regarding the efforts that we have to put in place to fund supply. That is being done in two different ways at the moment. At local authority level, the guidelines for planning authorities in respect of childcare facilities aim to make clear the minimum number of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Reliefs (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I will raise these issues with the Minister, Deputy Foley, but I know she is aware of them already. I will discuss with her the measures we can put in place now to further increase the supply of new homes and the new childcare places that accompany those new homes. We have measures in place now with regard to helping with the recruitment and retention of staff and with the provision of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Schemes (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 20 together. The primary aim of the help to buy scheme is to encourage additional supply of new houses by supporting demand. It also assists first-time purchasers with the deposit they need to buy or build a new home. The scheme provides a refund of income tax and deposit interest retention tax paid in Ireland over the previous four years, subject...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As I said in response to questions from his colleague, I, and everybody in this Government, is well aware of what higher energy costs mean for all sectors of our society. The electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a regulatory regime that comes from within Europe. These markets are commercial and liberalised. They aim to be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Am I hearing the sands shifting in Sinn Féin's policy on climate again? The Deputy refers to the Government pushing renewables. Does he not think renewables should be playing a larger role in our energy sector? I would appreciate in the exchange we have if he could clarify that issue. I accept that the cost of energy and the way in which our energy market is structured are causing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (29 May 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: All the Deputies on the Government benches here today visit homes that use solid fuels. We all represent people in homes that are struggling with the higher cost of energy and who know the cost of living is high. We understand that as well.