Results 861-880 of 7,082 for speaker:John Paul Phelan

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I have agreed to the amendment.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I made a commitment to the AILG to address the issue, outside the legislative process if I can do that. I recognise that it is a matter of concern for councillors. It was an anomaly in the rates legislation of a number of years ago that the offices of Oireachtas Members were rates-exempt while those of other public representatives were not. I do not think this was done on purpose but was...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: It is not a commercial activity.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Senators' offices are included also.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I will meet a delegation from the AILG and on 16 July I will also ask LAMA to discuss how best to address it. A review of Schedule 4, which is the exempted properties list, is under way and it would be logical to amend that, although there may be other ways to do it without requiring primary legislation. In any event, it certainly will be addressed.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The Senator is referring to buoyancy where new businesses open. When the revenue-neutral aspect of the revaluation process is mentioned, it means it is revenue-neutral in terms of the existing rates base. When a new business opens, such as when a wind farm is rated, the initial revenue does not go towards evening out the rates that are collected. "Revenue-neutral" refers to the existing...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: This would be 20% increase.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: This issue is not really directly related to this amendment and I cannot comment on specific cases but the target of a 20% population increase in any area is not an unreasonable one to set. In the example given, if the population of an area is 2,000, there are roughly 600 to 700 dwellings there. If a planning application comes in for another 200 dwellings, this would appear to be a very...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The future of development, particularly what we saw during the worst excesses of the Celtic tiger period, was the sprawl of Dublin in particular into the neighbouring counties and into the midlands, as far as Laois and even parts of my own area in Carlow and Kilkenny, where so many people are commuting. The future population increases are largely going to be based on proximity to work, as we...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Senator Gavan's colleague gave an example in the House. If the 24-month period applied, it would still be more profitable for the landlord to hold the property out of letting for 24 months, let alone 12 months. The purpose of the 12-month change is to ensure that there are a limited number of protected structures that are let out. It was felt after the passage of the most recent...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I understand the points the Senators are making. One of the purposes of the previous Bill on residential tenancies that was voted on here, I think in May, was to close off some of those loopholes. Some landlords were abusing the principle of refurbishment and using a lick of paint or whatever as an excuse to impose a rent increase of over 4%. Equally, though, I stand over my point and do...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Motion for Earlier Signature (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I thank Senators for the debate and their interesting and thoughtful questions. I also thank my officials for their work and for giving up their summer holidays.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Referendum Campaigns (10 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: At its meeting on 5 February 2019, the Government agreed that the preferred option to be put to the people in a referendum to extend the franchise at Presidential elections is for an extension of the franchise to all citizens resident outside the State, including citizens resident in Northern Ireland. More recently, at a meeting of the Government on 11 June 2019, the general scheme of a...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Second Stage (9 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I am very pleased to bring this important Bill before the Seanad. The purpose of the Bill is to modernise the commercial rates system. Commercial rates make up approximately one third of local government current income every year and are the single largest income source for local authorities, providing income of almost €1.5 billion per annum, between 15% and 53% of total funding for...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Second Stage (9 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I will try to respond to the issues that have been raised. Some of my answers might be specific, and I might attribute other issues to the incorrect Senator, so I ask people to bear with me. Almost every Senator spoke in support of the basic provisions of section 15, which provides for the introduction of alleviation or waiver schemes. Senator Murnane O'Connor was the first to speak on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Members' Remuneration (9 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: As a result of feedback from local authority elected members and their representative bodies regarding their current remuneration regime, my colleague, the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, and I agreed to the appointment in June 2018 of Ms Sara Moorhead SC to carry out a review of the role and remuneration of local authority elected members. Ms...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Property Tax (4 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The Government remains committed to ensuring that the local government sector retains a sustainable and stable source of funding from LPT to enable the delivery of essential services, particularly in a time of increasing demands on local authorities. Taxation policy, including local property tax policy, is in the first instance, a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance and Public...

Local Government (Rates) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I move amendment No. 18a:In page 18, to delete lines 36 and 37. Amendment No. 18a is a technical amendment. Part 2 of the Schedule outlining regulations to be repealed is being deleted as a consequence of amendment No. 27; there are now no regulations to be repealed in Part 2 of the Schedule. Section 23(2) refers to Part 2 of the Schedule. It is thus proposed to delete section 23(2)....

Local Government (Rates) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I move amendment No. 19:In page 18, line 39, to delete “Local Government (Rates) Act 2019” and substitute “Local Government Rates and Other Matters Act 2019”.

Local Government (Rates) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I move amendment No. 20:In page 19, line 1, after “Act” to insert “(other than sections 23, 24, 25and 26)”.