Results 10,101-10,120 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Written Answers — Credit Union Regulation: Credit Union Regulation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As Minister for Finance, my role is to ensure that the legal framework for credit unions is appropriate for the effective operation and supervision of credit unions. The Registrar of Credit Unions is responsible for administering the system of regulation and supervision of credit unions provided under the Credit Union Act, 1997 with a view to the protection by each credit union of the funds...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The main source of short-term trends on consumer spending is the monthly retail sales data series, published by the CSO. The latest data relate to the first quarter of 2008, and show a year-on-year inflation-adjusted decrease of -0.2 per cent in retail spending on the corresponding period last year. Excluding car sales, retail sales rose by 2.1 per cent in the first quarter. It is clear that...

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I should first explain that legislative and policy responsibility for data protection is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Also, enforcement of data protection legislation is the responsibility of the Data Protection Commissioner. As Minister for Finance, I have, therefore, no statutory function in relation to the matter raised by the Deputy in...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: A person is regarded as resident in the State for tax purposes in a tax year if he or she spends: (a) 183 days in the State in that year, or (b) 280 days in aggregate in that tax year and the preceding tax year. An individual who is present in the State for 30 days or less in a tax year will not be treated as resident for that year unless he or she elects to be resident. Also, a day will...

Written Answers — Departmental Estimates: Departmental Estimates (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The 2008 spending plans were set out in detail in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2008 which were published on 21 February 2008. The Estimates provide for total gross expenditure of just under €62 billion made up of approximately €53 billion current expenditure and €9 billion capital expenditure. These are the settled spending allocations with which all Government Departments...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Local Authorities are multi-purpose bodies responsible for an extensive range of services. The annual budget of local authorities is formulated under eight main programme groups, including housing, water services, waste management, etc. In 2007, total expenditure by local authorities amounted to some €10 billion. Capital expenditure is financed largely by State grants with the balance...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The most recent projections for the public finances were set out at Budget time when an Exchequer deficit of €4,866 million was projected for this year. At this time an economic growth rate of 3.0 per cent in GDP terms was forecast for 2008. A number of specific risks to that forecast were highlighted and these are now materialising. While my Department has not published new forecasts, I...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am aware of the recent pressure on the Live Register. The Government is closely monitoring the emerging position. The 2008 expenditure allocation for the Exchequer social welfare Jobseekers Allowance scheme is almost €1,020 million. However, Jobseekers Allowance is only one of a number of demand led schemes that are funded from the Vote of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: While there are a number of challenges facing the economy, the fundamentals are still good. For instance, we have one of the lowest levels of public debt in the euro area, our markets are flexible allowing us to respond efficiently to adverse developments, we have a dynamic and well educated labour force, we have a pro-business outward looking society and the tax burden on both labour and...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the amounts of tax revenue collected from Mineral Oil Tax on petroleum products for each month respectively in 2007 and the first four months of 2008 are set out in the following Appendix A and Appendix B. VAT returns do not require the yield from a particular sector or sub-sector of trade to be identified and therefore the VAT yield in each...

Written Answers — Social Partnership Agreements: Social Partnership Agreements (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am aware of the Economic Outlook publication prepared by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. This set out their analysis of the Irish economy as the national pay talks got underway. I acknowledge that there has been a recent increase in the rate of consumer price inflation but this is primarily due to external factors. At a recent plenary session of the social partnership pay talks, my...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure Reviews: Departmental Expenditure Reviews (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: In my predecessor's 2008 Budget Statement before this House on 5th December 2007, he announced the Government's agreement to an efficiency review of all administrative spending across the whole public service. In the Summary of Budget Measures, he set out his intentions as to how the review process should proceed. In essence, all Government Departments and Offices were required to examine...

Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131, 136 and 151 together. At Budget time, an Exchequer deficit of €4,866 million was projected for the year with tax revenue growth of 31⁄2 per cent forecast. At end-April, my Department published information which showed that overall tax receipts for the first four months of the year were €736 million, or 5.3%, behind target. At the time it was...

Written Answers — Tax Evasion: Tax Evasion (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The protective notification regime, provided for by section 811A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (TCA 1997), was introduced by Finance Act 2006 and was amended in Finance Act 2008 with a view to making it more effective. Section 811A is, in effect, a companion provision to the general anti-avoidance provision, contained in section 811 of the TCA 1997, which was introduced in 1989 after...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure Evaluation: Departmental Expenditure Evaluation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I think it is important that the Oireachtas should engage with evaluation of spending programmes under the Value for Money Initiative, and in this regard the Deputy will be aware that the Orders of Reference for the Select Committees of the 30th Dáil specifically encompass consideration of the reviews completed under this initiative. The Deputy will also be aware that my predecessor wrote...

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134, 180 and 181 together. The role of the Minister for Finance as regards financial regulation is to develop policy and bring forward proposals to the Oireachtas for the regulation of the financial services sector. Once that legislation has been enacted, the task of implementing and applying it on a day-to-day basis rests with the Financial Regulator, which...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Ireland has generous provisions in its tax code for granting relief from double taxation in respect of income of Irish residents that has suffered tax in a foreign country. Generally this allows for foreign tax paid by an Irish resident taxpayer to be credited against the Irish tax on the same income. Normally credit relief is only granted in respect of tax suffered in countries with which...

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 175 together. As the Deputy will be aware the general issue of the pricing of UK goods in Ireland on the basis of the increased strength of the euro has been the subject of recent discussions between my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Consumer Agency. The main...

Written Answers — Capital Expenditure Programmes: Capital Expenditure Programmes (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As Minister for Finance, I continually meet my Ministerial colleagues on matters of Government policy generally, including as regards progress on implementing the various capital programmes provided for in the annual Estimates. I envisage I will have more such meetings in the run up to the Budget. There is nothing exceptional about this.

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (4 Jun 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As measured by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), annual inflation in Ireland was 3.3% in April 2008, the same as the Euro area average. Using the domestic measure — the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — the annual inflation rate was 4.3% in April 2008. This represents an improvement on the CPI inflation rate of 5.0% recorded a month earlier. The pick-up in inflation in recent...