Results 10,121-10,140 of 32,547 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Budget 2021 (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: I can advise the Deputy that my Department is not responsible for setting funding for domestic violence services and therefore did not apportion funding under the 2021 Budget.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Banking Sector (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware as Minister for Finance I have no role in the commercial decisions made by the banks, including the structure and level of pricing for their various product offerings. This applies equally to the banks in which the State has a shareholding. Decisions in this regard are the sole responsibility of the board and management of the banks which...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS)was in place from 26 March to 31 August 2020 to support firm viability and preserve the relationship between the employer and employee insofar as possible. The Deputy will be aware that under Section 851A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, Revenue is precluded by reason of its taxpayer confidentiality obligations, from providing any details in...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Mortgage Lending (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: I have met with the CEOs of the banks on a number of occasions since the pandemic arose to discuss the measures banks and other regulated lenders can put in place to assist their borrowers who are economically impacted by COVID-19 and also the need to continue to support overall credit and lending in the economy, including new residential mortgage lending. In regard to the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Mortgage Lending (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: The Department of Finance, as part of its remit to ensure that consumers are protected within the financial sector in Ireland, facilitates the Switch Your Bank public awareness campaign. The purpose of the Switch Your Bank public awareness campaign is to raise awareness and promote customer switching of financial products. AIB and Permanent TSB provide the funding for the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 272, 285 and 290 together. The Stay and Spend scheme provides tax relief by means of a tax credit at the rate of 20% on qualifying expenditure of up to €625 per person, or €1,250 for a jointly assessed couple. The tax credit is worth a maximum of €125, or €250 for a jointly assessed couple. The purpose of the scheme is to...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Pension Provisions (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: In relation to Approved Minimum Retirement Funds (AMRFs), prior to Finance Act 1999, individuals with Defined Contribution (DC) pension savings had no option but to purchase a pension income or annuity with their savings after taking the allowable tax-free retirement lump sum.  Finance Act 1999 introduced flexibility and choice for certain individuals in relation to their pension savings...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Help-To-Buy Scheme (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: The definition of first time buyer in HTB is as follows: 'first-time purchaser' means an individual who, at the time of a claim under subsection (3) has not, either individually or jointly with any other person, previously purchased or previously built, directly or indirectly, on his or her own behalf a dwelling;  The intention is to target the Help to Buy scheme on those who have not...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Mortgage Lending (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: On 18 March last, the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI) announced a coordinated approach by banks and other lenders to help their customers who were economically impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.  The measures included flexible loan repayment arrangements where needed, including loan payment breaks initially for a period up to three months and then...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Budget 2021 (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is not responsible for setting funding for domestic violence services and therefore did not apportion funding under the 2021 Budget.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Departmental Budgets (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department does not have any annual contingent liability amount set aside for2020.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Credits (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by Revenue that the estimated full year cost of increasing the guide dog allowance to €950 is approximately €5,000. The allowance is provided at the standard rate of income tax, where an increase from the current rate of €825 to €950 equates to an increased cost to the Exchequer of €25 (€125 at 20%) per individual. Less than 200 people...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are no age restrictions for any of the Covid-19 related schemes that are under the remit of my Department including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) and its predecessor the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). The TWSS was in place for 22 weeks between 26 March and 31 August. It was introduced as an emergency income support for employees of...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Banking Sector (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware as Minister for Finance I have no role in the commercial decisions made by the banks, including any strategic reviews undertaken. This applies equally to the banks in which the State has a shareholding. Decisions in this regard are the sole responsibility of the board and management of the banks which must be run on an independent and...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Banking Sector (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: Approved Save-As-You-Earn (SAYE) share option schemes were introduced in 1999 and are provided for in Chapter 3 of Part 17 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 (TCA) and Schedule 12A of that Act. The schemes are designed to foster employee financial participation and provide for relief from Income Tax, PRSI and Levies on share option gains. As set out in section 519C of the Taxes...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: EU Budgets (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe:  As the Deputy will be aware, on 21 July 2020, Heads of State and Government at European Council reached agreement on the Post-2020 MFF and Next Generation EU, totalling €1.82 trillion. I welcome this agreement and think this is a fair and balanced outcome and demonstrates that Europe can work collectively to deal with this once-in-a-generation crisis. That agreement included...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Vehicle Registration Tax (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: From January 2021 a new vehicle registration tax (VRT) table is being introduced to: use the CO2 values from a new EU emissions test for passenger cars, known as “WLTP”; and strengthen the environmental rationale of the VRT regime in line with Government commitments to radically reduce emissions from road transport and to reform the VRT regime. The existing 11 band table is...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Costs (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: The Programme for Government sets out a range of commitments to reform the insurance sector, including to increase both the affordability and availability of cover. Work has begun to implement these.  In this regard, a Sub-Group of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Recovery and Investment was established by Government to oversee insurance reform implementation, and held its first meeting...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Motor Insurance (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: At the outset, I want to emphasise the key importance that Government places on the insurance reform agenda. This is reflected in the Programme for Government which identifies a range of issues that need to be tackled on a Whole-of-Government basis, including inter alia: continued reform of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB); review of duty of care; the need to reduce award levels...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Nov 2020)

Paschal Donohoe: We debated this matter at length yesterday, so I will not repeat the same arguments. However, I will emphasise two points to the Deputy. First, I expect that the process that is under way in the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, which I understand is hoped to lead to a framework agreement on such matters by the end of the year, will be a significant step forward in dealing with the...