Results 12,701-12,720 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Order of Business (18 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: It is proposed to take No. 14, Markets in Financial Instruments and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2007 — Committee Stage (resumed) and Remaining Stages; No. 8c, motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of a proposal for a Council regulation extending the provisions of Regulation (EC) 883/2004; No. 3, Passports Bill 2007 — Order for Second Stage and Second Stage; and No. 13 — Land...

Order of Business (18 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: We will abide by the Ceann Comhairle's ruling in these matters. The Minister for Transport will take oral questions today and there are two priority questions on Shannon-Heathrow. There will be an opportunity by way of these mechanisms for the Minister to outline the position he described frankly and openly this morning. He has arranged for a report——

Order of Business (18 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: ——to be forwarded to him in a matter of days. There will be an opportunity to discuss these issues today.

Written Answers — Disabled Drivers: Disabled Drivers (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: The initial application for a Primary Medical Certificate under the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations 1994, is made to the Senior Medical Officer of the relevant local Health Service Executive administrative area. If the Primary Medical Certificate is refused, the person may appeal the refusal to the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal, National...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: The tables outline the information requested by the Deputy. Table A provides information on bodies which receive funding from the exchequer. Table B provides information on bodies which do not receive Exchequer funding and as such information on budgets is not included. Table A Name of Body Date Established No of Board Members Budget in each of the past 10 years Staff Numbers Credit...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy may be aware, the poverty proofing exercise was reviewed last year by the Office of Social Inclusion. This led to an updating and re-titling of the process as Poverty Impact Assessment. A Poverty Impact Assessment is required for significant policy or programme proposals. One area where my Department has been to the forefront of progress in relation to poverty impact...

Written Answers — Disabled Drivers: Disabled Drivers (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme provides relief from VAT and Vehicle Registration Tax (up to a certain limit) on the purchase of an adapted car for transport of a person with specific severe and permanent physical disabilities, as well as relief from excise on the fuel used in the car, up to a certain limit. As the Deputy will be aware, there was an...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: I understand that the figure of 2,800 refers to the number of civil servants assigned to decentralising posts at end June 2007. At end June my Department had assigned one hundred and thirty-one (131) staff to posts decentralising to Tullamore and Kildare. Of these, thirteen (13) transferred with their posts from Dublin, nineteen (19) transferred on promotion and eighteen (18) were...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: I refer the Deputy to Parliamentary Question No. 172 on 10th October 2007, which sets out the background to the operation of the arrangements in place for civil service general service staff who do not wish to decentralise with their existing or another department. The primary mechanism for placing Civil Servants who are in posts which are due to decentralise but wish to remain in Dublin is...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: My Department is currently examining the implications of the recommendations in the latest report from the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG), including those relating to recruitment and promotion. Quantification of the posts and costs involved will form part of that examination, which is expected to be concluded over the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: The mid-Shannon Corridor Tourism Infrastructure Investment Scheme was introduced in the Finance Act 2007. It is a new pilot tax based scheme for tourism facilities in the mid-Shannon area. The scheme is aimed at encouraging the development of new tourism infrastructure, or the refurbishment of existing tourism infrastructure, in that area. Projects wishing to avail of relief must get...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: As part of the work on the Green Paper on Pensions, a review was carried out of the current regime of incentives for supplementary pension provision with a view to developing more comprehensive and reliable estimates of the cost of reliefs in this area. The review examined, among other things, the current reliefs and incentives for investment in supplementary pensions and the data available...

Written Answers — Disabled Drivers: Disabled Drivers (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme provides relief from VAT and Vehicle Registration Tax (up to a certain limit) on the purchase of an adapted car for transport of a person with specific severe and permanent physical disabilities, as well as relief from excise on the fuel used in the car, up to a certain limit. The disability criteria for these concessions...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: I have been advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the taxpayer is jointly assessed with her spouse for income tax purposes. Her spouse is self-employed and therefore, as a chargeable person, is obliged to submit annual tax returns. The taxpayer's spouse should submit a 2003 tax return to enable the issue of a notice of assessment for 2003 (in lieu of form P21). Tax returns are...

Markets in Financial Instruments and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2007: Committee Stage (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy noted, sections 14(a) to 14(c) amend section 18 of the Act under which the National Treasury Management Agency provides a deposit-taking and lending facility known as the central treasury service to local authorities and non-commercial semi-State bodies, which are designated by the Minister for Finance with the approval of the relevant Minister. The purpose of the central...

Markets in Financial Instruments and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2007: Committee Stage (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: The section deals with the fact that we are extending existing treasury services to these public bodies in addition to bodies that have already benefitted from them. The question being raised now is a wider policy issue. The NTMA has statutory independence under its own Acts and was removed from the aegis of the Department and given operational autonomy. This was for a good reason and its...

Markets in Financial Instruments and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2007: Committee Stage (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: I will give a detailed reply to the Deputy's points on Report Stage. The point is to provide competitive banking services. There are local authorities which bank outside the NTMA. The State bodies that have already made use of these facilities have seen that it is a good way of providing these services. Many of them find it more comfortable to deal with the NTMA, as the philosophy and...

Markets in Financial Instruments and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2007: Committee Stage (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: While a request for an update on the health capital programme would be best directed to the Minister for Health and Children, we passed legislation a couple of years ago at my initiative where the NDFA became the centre of excellence for PPP provision across Departments, and it is interesting that Deputy Burton is supportive of that PPP proposal. At the end of the day the NDFA gives the...

Markets in Financial Instruments and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2007: Committee Stage (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: I can enlighten the Deputy in the House in how it is expected these amendments will work in terms of enhancing or widening the numbers of bodies to which the central treasury service of the NTMA will apply in the future. The opportunity cannot be used for me to reply to a parliamentary question.

Markets in Financial Instruments and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2007: Committee Stage (17 Oct 2007)

Brian Cowen: What is intriguing is that the requirement to apply within six months does not apply to any other public service pension. If a person other than a Minister were to apply for a pension after the initial six month period, he or she would not be disbarred from receiving the pension back to the date of entitlement. For some reason it was felt in previous legislation that we should be treated...