Results 1,001-1,020 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Scrutiny of Tax Expenditures: Discussion (22 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: I agree with that, as did the PBO. However, its representatives stated that there may be individual tax expenditures for which the final revenue forgone could be estimated. I was just wondering if we did that with any of our tax expenditures. We do not do so.
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Scrutiny of Tax Expenditures: Discussion (22 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: Yes, of course.
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Scrutiny of Tax Expenditures: Discussion (22 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: I am glad the Chairman made that point because, obviously, if we give a tax expenditure to a certain cohort of people, everyone pays for it. This brings me to the 2016 report by Revenue's statistics and economic research branch. I refer to the analysis in 2016 of high-income individuals' restriction, in which it is explained that measures were introduced to cut back on some of the reliefs...
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Scrutiny of Tax Expenditures: Discussion (22 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: I was looking at this report, which gives a list of all the reliefs and the amount for each relief being claimed. By far the biggest one was reference No. 47, carry forward of excess relief. It was claimed by 346 individuals-----
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Scrutiny of Tax Expenditures: Discussion (22 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: -----and, of the €149 million, cost us in excess of €97 million. It seems a pretty high figure. Will the witnesses give me a brief explanation of what is meant by "carry forward of excess relief"? If one does not use up all one's relief in one year, does it carry forward to the next year and can one keep doing so? It is in this report, Analysis of High Income Individuals'...
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Scrutiny of Tax Expenditures: Discussion (22 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: Yes, they might get that to me in a note. A total of 665 people are classed as high-income individuals, earning in excess of €250,000. Their total claim in tax expenditure is €150 million. I do not know where the equity is in that when one sees people like nurses or teachers being absolutely screwed, and then they look at this cohort of people being able to claim €150...
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Scrutiny of Tax Expenditures: Discussion (22 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: I refer back to the landlord relief. It is 100% relief for the purchase or refurbishment of a property.
- Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Scrutiny of Tax Expenditures: Discussion (22 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: It is only on loans.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: I agree with Deputy Connolly. It is not a question of us examining GAA funds but the public money going to it. I agree that there is an attempt to convey the perception that public money is being mismanaged. If that is not the case, let somebody in the GAA tell us that and show us how the organisation is managing the money. It is a genuine question. Guidance is needed.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (17 Jan 2019)
Jonathan O'Brien: I do not know the structure because I am not a member of the GAA.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: I will not take all of that time because I know other people want to come in before the break. I will ask a series of questions, some of which will be straightforward quickfire questions. I will start off with compensation and legal costs. Is there a reason that legal costs for claims by prisoners are far higher than the level of compensation awarded? It is the only category in which we...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: Could we get a note from the State Claims Agency in relation to the number of Prison Service cases, the types of cases and the reason the figure for legal costs is twice as high as the figure for compensation payments?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: Maybe that explains why the compensation figure is so low-----
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: -----and the legal costs are so high.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: I will ask a couple of quickfire questions. How many prisoners are in solitary confinement at the moment? Is there an average length of time that those prisoners spend in solitary confinement?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: I know it has been reduced from 72 down to nine at the moment.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: Is Ms McCaffrey talking about prisoners with mental health issues?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: There will be some prisoners who would choose not to exit their cells and stay in solitary confinement and then there will be a number of prisoners who, for medical reasons, are requested to stay. Do we have those figures? How many prisoners are in solitary confinement at their own request, for want of a better term? How many prisoners remain there on medical advice?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: Yes.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 21 - Prisons (17 Jan 2019) Jonathan O'Brien: Yes.