Results 1,181-1,200 of 2,551 for speaker:Pat Carey

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: I am advised that the category of disabled would likely apply to the people referred to by Senator Doherty. The regulations are being drawn up by the Revenue Commissioners, so I will bring the Senator's suggestion to the attention of the Minister for Finance and we will see if it can be incorporated. I am advised that a flight from Donegal to Barcelona via Dublin would incur a €10 charge,...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: Senator Doherty's recommendation would almost double the exemption threshold applying to the income levy from €18,304 to €37,000. The cost of such a measure would be €185 million in 2009 and €265 million in a full year. Not only would this measure involve a significant cost, it would also be 7% in excess of the average industrial wage for 2009. It should be noted that to maintain...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: Senator Twomey's recommendation would introduce a fourth rate of 0.5% to the income levy, which would apply for incomes between €18,304 and €28,304 in the case of persons aged between 65 and under and for income between €20,000 and €30,000 for single persons aged over 65 and between €40,000 and €60,000 for a married couple where one or both are aged 65 or over. This would cost...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: There are step effects in our current taxation system which have been in place for a number of years. For example there is a step in the current health levy and the PRSI system. There is no compelling evidence that these step effects have discouraged workers from accepting increases in pay. There is precedence for the current income levy structure. The income levy introduced by the Fianna...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: Income tax relief in respect of health expenses will be granted at the standard rate of tax for 2009, with the exception of nursing home fees which will continue to be granted at an individual's marginal rate of tax. The change provided for in the Finance Bill follows on from the changes made in the Finance Act 2007, that is, the removal of the de minimus threshold of €125 for a single...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: As I indicated in my response to the previous recommendation on the Commission on Taxation, the Minister cannot accept an amendment that affects the existing broad terms of reference of the Commission on Taxation. Recommendation put.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: The initiative on health expenses relief will yield €120 million in 2010 and €150 million in a full year. The changes provided for in the Finance Bill follow on from the changes made in Finance Act 2007, that is, the removal of the de minimis threshold of €125 for a single individual and €250 for a married couple. The Finance Act 2007 also provided for the removal of the requirement...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: The dental profession has sought the extension of the relief to routine dental treatment, basing this on a comparison with relief available for routine doctors visits. Routine dental treatment has never qualified for tax relief and dentists are not in competition with doctors. In any event, the cost of such a concession is estimated to be very high and, given the current fiscal situation,...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: The terms of reference of the Commission on Taxation are very broad and it will issue its final report on 30 September. I suggest we await the report.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: The purpose of section 13 of the Bill is the attraction from overseas of individuals with the necessary high level skills that are needed in the current economic climate. Those individuals will, in turn, act as potential magnets to attract additional levels of business to Ireland, which will enhance our ability to develop further the sectors within which they work. It will enable us to...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: No.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: I understand recommendation No. 3 has been ruled out of order.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: I will broadly address the issue raised. The scheme of capital allowances for the construction or refurbishment of buildings used as registered nursing homes and private hospitals came into effect in April 1998 and May 2002, respectively. The purpose of the schemes is to attract private investment into the provision of nursing homes and hospitals. Under the schemes, investors can write off...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: The Commission on Taxation was established in February 2008. The purpose of the commission is to review the structure, efficiency and appropriateness of the Irish taxation system. The work of the commission will set the framework within which tax policy will be set for the next decade. It is important that the commission takes a strategic, considered and balanced perspective that...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: The terms of reference of the commission are wide enough to cover the areas being raised by the Senators. Tax incentives are clearly within the remit of the commission on taxation, but I will bring the comments of the Senators to the attention of the Minister.

Council of Europe: Appointment of Representatives (18 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: I wish to inform the House that the following persons have been selected and nominated as representatives and alternates from Ireland to the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe until the end of 2009: Deputy Frank Fahey, as leader of the delegation, Deputy Pat Breen, Deputy Joe Costello and Senator Cecilia Keaveney. The alternates are Deputy Peter Kelly, Deputy Tony Gregory,...

International Agreements: Motion (18 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: Molaim: That Dáil Éireann approves the terms of the three interim Economic Partnership Agreements: (i) Interim Agreement with a view to an Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its member states, of the one part, and the Central Africa party, of the other part; (ii) Agreement establishing a Stepping Stone Economic Partnership Agreement between Ghana, on the one...

Written Answers — Labour Force Statistics: Labour Force Statistics (17 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table. The data are taken from the Population and Labour Force Projections published in April 2008. Because of the uncertainty involved, the labour force projections are only given for the period to 2021, while the years distinguished are 2011, 2016 and 2021. Three migration scenarios are given: M1 assumes average annual...

Spent Convictions Bill 2007: Motion (17 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: I move: That the Order of the Dáil of 25th October, 2007, that Second Stage of the Spent Convictions Bill 2007, be taken in Private Members' time, be discharged and that Second Stage of the Bill be taken today in Government time.

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (16 Dec 2008)

Pat Carey: The following table provides the number of occupied rented properties (and the number of these rented properties which were bedsits) enumerated during the April 2006 census for each of the electoral districts in Dublin City. Rented Dwellings in each Electoral Division in Dublin City classified by Bedsit and all accomodation types — Census 2006 District All rented accomodation types...