Results 11,081-11,100 of 36,188 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment: Motion [Private Members] (7 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: Covid-19 has been an earthquake for our economy and the epicentre of that earthquake has been among those in low-paid employment, predominantly in the retail, tourism and hospitality sectors. The repercussions for them and their families have been enormous. The introduction of the PUP was a lifeline for these workers and their families when it was introduced back in March. However, it also...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Wage Subsidy Scheme (7 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: 68. To ask the Minister for Finance the cost of amending the employment wage subsidy scheme to the end of December 2020, 1 January to 31 March 2021 and 1 April to end of December 2021 (details supplied). [29211/20]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Wage Subsidy Scheme (7 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: 69. To ask the Minister for Finance if the subsidies payable under the employment wage subsidy scheme can be made payable two weeks or one week in arrears, as opposed to one month in arrears as is the case at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29217/20]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Wage Subsidy Scheme (7 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: 70. To ask the Minister for Finance the additional weekly or monthly staffing costs at the Office of the Revenue Commissioner that would result from making subsidies payable under the employment wage subsidy scheme two weeks or one week in arrears, as opposed to one month in arrears as is the case at present. [29218/20]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (7 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: 71. To ask the Minister for Finance if payments made through pandemic unemployment payment can be taxable by law in view of the fact that it was introduced under section 202 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 which as an urgent needs payment is not liable for tax as clarified by section 13 of Finance Act 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29219/20]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Data (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: 302. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide statistical information and costings (details supplied) in tabular form. [28667/20]

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit fá choinne teacht isteach leis na Meastacháin a phlé. Tá cúpla ceist sciobtha agam ó thaobh na Breatimeachta de. In terms of Brexit, it was mentioned that there are 330 staff, although the Minister of State is not sure whether they have all been recruited. There is a difference between the amount of resources the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: This information is from the Minister of State's own statement. I do not think those figures are in the Estimates.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: I always believed that, in dealing with the Estimates, what Revenue sought in additional staff was usually granted. I may be wrong but in the context of Brexit, I am surprised the Revenue Commissioners were not allocated what they required.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: I take it from what the Minister of State is saying that €11 million was allocated for pay, which is what was requested. That was delivered in full so all the staff complement was agreed to. There was a further €7 million in non-pay costs, a portion of which was spent on Brexit preparations at the ports.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: What level of costs did those four component parts make up? Do we know how much those four things, namely, the two ports, the airport and the scanner, cost?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: I would be particularly interested to know what Revenue sought and was not granted. What was the €3.29 million of additional support it needed that it was not able to get last year? I note as well that the dividend withholding tax has not been put on a real-time platform. Is it planned that that will take place in 2021?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: I ask the Minister of State to give the committee more information on that €21.29 million request, if possible. What were the component parts of that and what part of it was granted or not in last year's Estimates?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister mentioned that Revenue staff continue to support the delivery of public services through contact tracing and income supports. Can he tell me how many staff in Revenue are deployed to each section of work? How many are involved in contact tracing and how many are involved in applications for income support payments?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: Then there is a second group of staff who are involved in processing payments for the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Are those 30 staff across both contact tracing and the applications?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: I understand. It all related to the employment wage subsidy scheme, not the pandemic unemployment payment.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: When we are dealing with Estimates, we are supposed to be looking at the expenditure and the outcomes. The necessary diversion would have taken away these staff from other areas of activity. Are we able to identify the areas of activity within the Revenue that were not able to be followed up, outside of the dividend withholding tax expenditure of €2 million?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: How much is Revenue expected to pay out in the first quarter of 2021 on the employment wage subsidy scheme?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: In relation to the economic and policy division, there has been a significant reduction in the Estimate for this section. Last year there was €24 million spent on consultancy services - two and a half times the overall payroll within that section. Can the Minister of State explain what was the consultancy and why it is not deemed necessary in 2020?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Revised Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (6 Oct 2020)

Pearse Doherty: I thank the Minister of State. One of the output targets for 2020 was the summer economic statement, which gives us an indication in regard to the budgetary parameters, but it was not published. At that time, there was no communication with Opposition spokespersons that a normal statement would not be published, which is bad form. Some of us have just come from a meeting of the Committee...