Results 961-980 of 34,832 for speaker:Seán Fleming

EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement: Motion (8 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: I understand the sentiments behind the statement by Senator Maria Byrne. As she is aware, we discussed this a little while ago. There is an EU directive under which the price is set. The price is set by the manufacturer and importer and the retailer has the flexibility to increase the price. However, the day the Senator said it I thought it was a good idea and that there should be scope...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: Recommendation No. 24 relates to VAT rates applied to e-books and audio books. The current position is that the second reduced rate of VAT applies to e-books and audio books supplied in an electronic format, that is, 9%. Where an audio book is provided electronically, it is considered an electronic publication and, therefore, liable at the reduced rate, assuming it meets the criteria laid...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: No, only to recommendation No. 24.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: Section 96 provides for the new vacant homes tax through the insertion of the new section into the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997. The objective is to increase the supply of homes for rent or purchase by encouraging the owners of vacant habitable residential properties to bring those properties back into use. The tax will apply to residential properties that are within the scope of the local...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: Correct. Owners of vacant properties will be required to self-assess liability to the tax and file a return on 7 November 2023. Payment in respect of this chargeable period will fall due on 1 January 2024.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: The measure specifically relates to zoned land, so it is not an issue of the provision of services, whether they be water, electricity or wastewater services. That is not the relevant issue. It is an issue of zoning. No doubt there can be zoned land that does not have the services either, so that is another issue. I apologise; I just want make a correction. Land has to be zoned and...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: The zoning is the straightforward bit. It is the vote of the local authority in relation to zoned land. On services, I am having the matter clarified. I assume it is based on the definition in the Finance Act 2021. I will give the Senator a commitment to make that information available. It is actually services already covered in legislation. I assume that covers water services as one of...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Senator and I have listened carefully to what she said. As was indicated, addressing vacancy and maximising the use of the existing housing stock is a priority objective for this Government and for everybody with an interest in the housing situation. In Housing for All, the Government has set out a suite of incentives available to encourage the reuse of properties and increase...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: As well as opposing section 99, the Senator and her colleagues in this House are, in recommendation No. 27, calling for a report to be prepared on the impact of the levy within six months of the passing of the Act. The Minister has previously stated it is intended that the revenue from this new levy will contribute towards offsetting the significant costs arising from the comprehensive...

Seanad: Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (6 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: I am pleased to be in Seanad Éireann to present the Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022. In accordance with Standing Order No. 149(2)(i), I confirm that the reason pre-legislative scrutiny did not take place under Seanad Standing Order No. 143 is to meet a programme for Government commitment to review the policy framework for credit unions. Credit unions are the most trusted brand in...

Seanad: Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (6 Dec 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank all of the Senators who have contributed to the debate. It is very clear that everybody who spoke has a deep personal knowledge of and connection with the credit union movement through their own local credit unions. We accept that, in itself, this Bill will not solve all of the issues in the credit union movement, many of which are issues that will have to be sorted out by the...

Drugs Policy: Motion [Private Members] (30 Nov 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank Deputies for their contributions to this debate on drugs policy and acknowledge their interest in and commitment to the issue. In particular, I thank the Labour Party for providing time for the debate. The Government is fully committed to a health-led approach to the drugs issue and believes that people with problematic drug and alcohol use issues should be treated with...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Chairman and members for the opportunity to address the committee. This is my first time doing so. I am pleased to be here. I thank the committee for the opportunity to address it today. The specific question of insurance for thatched roof properties is linked to the condition of the wider insurance market in Ireland. For years the Irish market has suffered a series of...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2022)

Seán Fleming: The action plan on insurance reform is a whole-of-government approach, led by the Tánaiste, and involves a number of Government Departments. We have been talking specifically about a report by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage that is coming out in the near future, which will help us on the insurance side. In recent weeks, we published the third implementation...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2022)

Seán Fleming: I will answer that in this way. We have all seen reports in the media in recent years about fraudulent cases. Up to now, there has been little or no successful prosecution in cases of fraud in insurance because it was not a criminal offence. The Government brought in legislation to make perjury a criminal offence for the first time ever. It is only very recently that the Garda have the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2022)

Seán Fleming: My understanding on the ombudsman situation is that it is a regulated business and a complaint can go to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, FSPO, from any consumer. The FSPO handles all financial services. It is a separate issue, but 28,000 people are employed in the insurance sector in Ireland, so it is quite a big industry. There are still some gaps and pinch points with...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2022)

Seán Fleming: I am very pleased. The Deputy is the first person to say that to me. I encourage her to say it out loud again outside of today's meeting. The Central Bank concentrated on house and home insurance because bigger figures are involved. I see exactly where the Deputy is going on this. While I cannot tell the Central Bank what to do, it is no harm that this is now said about insurance in...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2022)

Seán Fleming: Nobody knows the answer to that question. I am honest enough to say that. We understand that approximately 800 houses have insurance recurring on a year-to-year basis. The issue is about those which do not have insurance or where a property changes hands and the new owner cannot get insurance. The owner will get a renewal if there is no change in ownership but the issue, as we speak, is...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petition on Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2022)

Seán Fleming: No. I know there is a scheme in the UK. Since it is a bigger market of more than 50 million people, it has a bigger reinsurance market. When a company issues an insurance policy, it sells on the risk to another company that reinsures it. As Ireland is such a small market, it does not have the same reinsurance market as that in the UK that would allow the risk to be spread across other...