Results 1,181-1,200 of 34,832 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Research and Development (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: The promotion of this scheme genuinely falls to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It is about business. We will write the cheque at the end of it but it belongs to that Department. From my own direct knowledge of the scheme I agree the small businesses do not know about it. The local enterprise offices, LEOs, know about it and Enterprise Ireland, EI, knows about it for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Deputy for raising this particular issue. We have had discussions here about various forms of taxation, which is one part of the issue the Government has been dealing with, but there have been many other interventions as well. The Government has intervened on four occasions to address the increases in the cost of living, at a combined cost of approximately €2.1 billion. ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Deputy for highlighting those points. The national claims information database, which is compiled by the Central Bank, is unique and provides a level of information that is not available in any other EU country. An issue that has cropped up at all our meetings is that of pinch points. We are dealing with those very specifically on an area-by-area basis. This week we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: It is very important to point out that while the judicial guidelines are giving reductions of 40% in the cost of claims for soft tissue injuries and the most common injuries, no one who understood the system ever believed that would lead to a 40% reduction in premiums because the cost of those claims was the biggest cost to the insurance industry but it was not its only cost. That 40% will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: Whatever. The issue is that they are working so well that people have seen they are getting less, and that is why there are test cases. We have had a big increase in the number of people not accepting the new reduced awards and taking their claims to court. When we have those test cases through the courts, I hope the colleagues of the Judicial Council who wrote the guidelines will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Unions (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 16, 30 and 75 together. I thank the Deputy for raising the expansion of credit union services. The Government recognises the importance of credit unions. The programme for Government contains four specific commitments for the sector. These can be condensed into one key commitment, which is to enable the credit union movement to grow. That means...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Credits (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: I understand what the Deputy is saying. Looking at it strictly, the only benefit the State can confer on people is solely through the taxation system. I understand that point from a very narrow perspective. That point of view may or may not have validity but, looking at it in the broader context of low-income families, the arguments being put forward have to be reviewed in a wider context....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Credits (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: Yes, it is a matter of prioritisation. We have issues in respect of medical card benefits. There are a number of other benefits-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Credits (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: You will if you are on a low income-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Credits (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: -----and people on the minimum wage. Many families are entitled to get medical cards.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Credits (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: There are broader issues than that of income tax.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: As the Deputy said, we had a discussion on this issue last night. It is no harm to revisit the matter here. It is important to do so on this occasion. Ireland's taxation on fuel is governed by European Union law as set out in Directive 2003/96/ED, commonly known as the energy tax directive, ETD. The ETD prescribes minimum tax rates for fuel with which all member states must comply. ETD...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: Carbon tax is part of Ireland's overall decarbonisation policy. Nobody likes a tax, but we cannot on the one hand support all the climate change measures and on the other oppose the inclusion of carbon tax as part of that programme. While the financing side of it is always the hard bit, people agree with the principle. We cannot implement our principles unless we raise the revenue to do...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: I hear what the Deputy is saying, but the collection of carbon taxes is a key ingredient of our climate plan. It is no good having a plan unless we raise some money to cover it. I understand the technical point the Deputy made but, in an overall context, there is no point in having a plan to reduce carbon emissions and then saying we will not have any tax specifically for that purpose. It...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Insurance Industry (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Deputy. There is a limit on the time available to facilitate me updating him and doing justice to the work I do specifically. On the issue of the timescale, the Deputy is fully aware that we have a wide-ranging plan for insurance reform underpinned by the action plan for insurance reform. This cross-departmental action plan was published in December 2020 with the most recent...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Code (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: I again thank the Deputies. I confirm that the Government is working with the European Commission and member states to consider the policy proposal outlined in its REPowerEU document designed to aid consumers and businesses to deal with the increasing cost of energy. A number of potential measures have been set out by the European Commission under that initiative at European level,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Credits (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: The position is that the matter of refundable tax credits was looked at in some detail in 2002 by the working group established under the programme for prosperity and fairness. The group was chaired by the Department of Finance and included representatives from Irish Congress of Trade Unions, IBEC, various farming organisations, the community and voluntary pillar, relevant Departments and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Credits (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: The Deputy is quite right; much has changed since those reports were produced. The principal change was the introduction of and increase to the minimum wage from €8.65 to €10.50. We would all like if this rate was higher, but that is a significant increase in the context that we had no provision for a minimum wage in legislation when that work was commissioned. Social...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Code (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: As the Deputy will be aware, the current VAT rate of 13.5% applies to energy products. It is a part rate and cannot be reduced below 12%. It should be noted that member states must apply their standard rate of VAT to this product. Our historical derogation covered electricity, gas, fuel and oil. This meant Ireland applied the rate of 13.5% to those products in comparison with other...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tax Code (28 Apr 2022)

Seán Fleming: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 3 together. I am aware the European Commission has confirmed that EU member states can consider imposing temporary tax measures on windfall profits of energy providers and use the revenue generated to provide consumers with relief from high prices. Officials in the Department and in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications are...