Results 11,381-11,400 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: I have good researchers.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: I did not do the hard left trick of repeating comments without attributing them, allowing the Deputy who made them to disagree with them and then pointing out to him that he made them. In 1997, Deputy Gilmore made a point that is relevant to today's debate on what we should do in the current circumstances. He stated that if we are to lift the suspicions, serve the people properly and let...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: We need to get on with business. We are here to do the business and are getting on with our job. We would like the Opposition to engage also because that is what people want. To address the issue that is more germane, as Deputy Quinn pointed out, the reports in question will be published as quickly as possible. A legal problem has arisen with regard to one of the reports, while another...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy will be aware that the Finance Bill introduces an amendment to the VAT Act 1972 that will reduce the VAT rate applicable to non oral contraceptive products from 21% to 13.5%. This is a significant reduction in itself which will take effect from the passing of the Finance Bill. It is hoped that this measure will address concerns raised by the various health bodies. In relation to...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The premise on which this question is based appears to be that businesses should receive specific compensation through the tax system for the loss of business which they consider they have experienced or will experience as a result of works carried out by local authorities and others. I do not consider the tax system to be the appropriate mechanism through which to deal with matters of this...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: I want to assure the Deputy that the Government's position on our corporate tax regime is unambiguous. It is clearly stated in the Programme for Government that the 12 1⁄2% rate of corporation tax will remain. That commitment is protected, in an EU context, by the principle of unanimity in taxation matters. The draft Reform Treaty confirms that position. Although the Deputy does not specify...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The proposals published by the Commission begin the process which will lead to an agreement on the contributions of individual Member States towards meeting the EU targets agreed at the 2007 Spring Council. The Commission proposes that Ireland reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020, based on 2005 emissions figures, and achieve an overall target of 16% of final energy consumption...

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) has since 1989, operated a savings protection scheme (SPS) for credit unions. The SPS aims to protect the individual savings of members by ensuring that credit unions are financially and administratively sound and provides for savings protection for each individual credit union member. It is important to note that under the SPS regime no member of a...

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Irish deposit protection scheme complies with harmonised arrangements set out in the EU Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive 94/19/EC. The Directive currently provides for a level of protection of 90% of the loss incurred by a depositor when a credit institution cannot repay funds, subject to a maximum payment of €20,000. The Exchequer or the CBFSAI do not fund the scheme; it is funded...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: In my role as the Minister for Finance I have responsibility for the development of the legal framework governing financial regulation. The day-to-day responsibility for the supervision of financial institutions is a matter for the Financial Regulator. The Pensions Board is responsible for the regulation of occupational pension schemes and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts in Ireland as...

Written Answers — Ethics Legislation: Ethics Legislation (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 36 together. As I have informed the House on previous occasions, the Standards in Public Office Act 2001 already allows the Standards in Public Office Commission to carry out investigations on its own initiative, where it considers it appropriate to do so, on breaches of the provisions of the Ethics legislation, by persons in the Commission's area of...

Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: On Budget day, my Department projected a GDP growth rate of 3 per cent for this year and a GNP growth rate of 2.8 per cent. While lower than in recent years this is still a robust rate of economic growth given the prevailing international conditions. A General Government deficit of -0.9 per cent of GDP in 2008 and a General Government debt level of around 26 per cent of GDP at end-2008 were...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the 2005 income tax year was the first year for which it was possible to capture the number of returns of income and gains made by persons not domiciled in the State. The number of individuals that show they are not domiciled in the State on their 2005 return of income is 4,955. In addition, the 2005 returns show 2,239 spouses as non-domicile....

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy will be aware, within the implementation of the overall legislative framework, private sector credit growth and debt levels are, in the first instance, a matter for the Central Bank and the Financial Services Authority of Ireland (CBFSAI). This follows from its role as part of the European System of Central Banks and its functions, as the Financial Regulator, in relation to the...

Written Answers — Departmental Reviews: Departmental Reviews (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 92 together. The Government approved some 90 formal Value for Money Reviews to be carried out for the period 2006-2008. This programme of reviews focuses on significant areas of expenditure and major policy issues. Value for Money and Policy Reviews are part of a package of changes that I have introduced to the Estimates and Budget processes in recent...

Written Answers — Capital Projects: Capital Projects (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: As I have previously indicated, the responsibility for undertaking project appraisals rests in the first instance with the individual Departments and Agencies. They are prepared to facilitate and inform the internal decision making process. It has not been the practice to publish these appraisals as they generally contain commercially sensitive information, the publication of which could be...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to examine the scope for reducing the VAT rate on environmental goods and services from the standard VAT rate of 21 per cent to the reduced rate of 13.5 per cent. I should mention that this is just one of a number of initiatives in the Programme aimed at delivering a cleaner environment. When considering a change in the VAT treatment of a...

Written Answers — Capital Projects: Capital Projects (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: As of December 2007, there were 12 Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects with a capital value of over €20 million operational in three sectors: four in the roads sector, three in the education sector, and five in the environmental services sector. Fuller information on these is provided by the relevant sponsoring Department/Agency and is available at www.ppp.gov.ie In general, under the...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: Budget 2008 was published on 5 December last year. It contains forecasts for all the main macroeconomic variables in 2008, including the forecast rate of unemployment and the growth rate in employment. These forecasts of the main macroeconomic variables were taken into account by my Department when producing estimates of expenditure and tax revenue for 2008. The economic projections assume a...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (26 Feb 2008)

Brian Cowen: The following table sets out the net yield from DIRT collected from 2005 to 2007: Year â'¬m 2005 167.1 2006 254.36* 2007 471.75* (provisional) * The increase in receipts for 2006 and 2007 may be attributed in the main to interest rate rises.