Results 12,481-12,500 of 18,730 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: The individuals in question arrived in the State on 23 May 1999, accompanied by one of their dependants, and made an asylum application on 24 May 1999. They had a child in November 1999 and withdrew their asylum application in November 2000. They successfully applied for permission to reside in Ireland based solely on their parentage of an Irish-born child. They were granted permission to...

Written Answers — Deportation Orders: Deportation Orders (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Marriage to an Irish national does not confer any automatic right of residency in the State. However, it is possible to make an application for permission to remain in the State based solely on the separate basis of marriage to an Irish national. In this regard the person in question made an application for residency in the State based solely on marriage to an Irish national in April 2004. In...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: On 14 October 2005, an application was received from the person in question to have her permission to remain in the State on humanitarian grounds renewed. On 1 December 2005, the person in question was issued with a letter granting her permission to remain in the State for a further period of one year. On foot of that letter, the person concerned is required to present herself to the Garda...

Written Answers — Asylum Applications: Asylum Applications (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: The refugee in question made an application for family reunification in respect of his son. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has recently been in correspondence with him seeking clarification of documentation submitted by him. On receipt of a response from the person in question the application will be processed further.

Written Answers — Deportation Orders: Deportation Orders (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: The person concerned arrived in the State on 3 May 2005 and applied for asylum. Her application was refused following consideration of her case by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, by the Office of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal.

Written Answers — Asylum Applications: Asylum Applications (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: The person concerned applied for asylum on 30 July 2004. Her application was considered in the first instance by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner who concluded that the person concerned did not meet the criteria for recognition as a refugee. This position was communicated to the person concerned by letter dated 5 July 2005. The person concerned appealed this recommendation...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: The correspondence referred to in my response to Question No. 228 of 24 November was sent on 21 November last to the address provided by the person concerned when she lodged her declaration of post-nuptial citizenship. However, it appears that she changed address since lodging the declaration but did not inform officials in the citizenship section of the Department of Justice, Equality and...

Written Answers — Violence Against Women: Violence Against Women (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Funding for the provision of services to women experiencing violence, including domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Children, while the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible for the provision of refuges and other emergency accommodation. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform's...

Written Answers — Prisoner Transfers: Prisoner Transfers (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 200 of 7 December 2005. Both my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and I have called on any person with credible evidence that Shannon Airport is being used for alleged unlawful purposes to share this information with the Garda authorities, who would be responsible for investigating such matters.

Written Answers — Legal Representation: Legal Representation (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am satisfied that the arrangements in place under the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962 and the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 meet the State's obligations in respect of the provision of legal aid for criminal and civil matters.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis an Aire Iompair. The announcement of the new and expanded provision for child care services, including the new child care programme, in budget 2006 is a major and welcome landmark in the Government's policy on child services and the important issue of child care. As Minister with responsibility in recent years for the development of Ireland's child...

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Yes, more people are working. That is a very good point. The reason so many people were unemployed when Fine Gael and Labour were in office on the last occasion is because there was a high tax on work.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: When the Government was elected in 1997, the rate of tax on capital gains was 40%.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Capital gains tax is now 20% and yet the State's yield from capital taxation has exploded from £168 million in the glorious days of the rainbow coalition to a budgeted €2.025 billion next year. Lower rates have again produced higher yields. I remember a Labour Party spokesman describing the plan of the former Minister, Mr. McCreevy, to reduce the rate of capital gains tax from 40% to 20%...

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Because it was the last time when we were in a position to see the colour of the Opposition's money and how it can ruin an economy. Some will say that yesterday's budget was more of a Fianna Fáil budget than a Progressive Democrats one. They will point to all the increased State spending as being a Fianna Fáil goal rather than a Progressive Democrats one. I could not disagree more. It never...

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: It is our goal to strengthen our economy so as to increase the opportunities people have to develop themselves to their full potential. Yesterday's spending increases are ones the Progressive Democrats fully stand over. They represent the fruits of a low tax, high yield economic strategy.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: From the late 1970s to the mid-1980s this country tried the opposite approach to that which the Government is following. That mistaken policy produced the disastrous combination of high spending, high tax rates, high unemployment, low tax yields and a budget deficit spiralling out of control.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: It was only the political arrival of the Progressive Democrats and the national threat of bankruptcy that led Ireland to abandon that failed policy. The result since then has been an endorsement of our economic logic and our political philosophy. However, not everyone sees it that way. The Labour Party, for instance, cannot get rid of its reflexive instinct to meddle, muddle and increase...

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Labour Party wants to go beyond what we have done. It wants a wealth tax. Deputy Rabbitte stated in The Irish Times on 24 February 2003: "You can't simply say we will impose what are still pretty hefty taxes on work and no taxes on wealth". A single person on the average industrial wage will pay just 16% of his or her income in income tax next year compared to 28% when the parties...

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed). (8 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am finishing. The Green Party mentioned today that it wants to introduce taxes on fuel, a site value tax, new pollution levies and increase capital gains tax.