Results 13,141-13,160 of 27,019 for speaker:Michael Noonan

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: On the arrears, the explanation is that they concentrate on the larger accounts. If one looks at the percentages, they are high on the larger accounts. It is the smaller accounts where they are falling behind but that is because of the method of allocating the work. In value terms, they deal with a very high proportion of them. On the NAMA question, when NAMA commenced it had liabilities...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: First, not all the expertise being sought through consultancy is economic expertise. It is economic, legal and communications expertise in some respects. The amounts of money, in their totality, are not huge in comparison with overall budgets. I have given Deputy Boyd Barrett the explanation previously that the expertise is not available in-house and it is more economic to get it through...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: We are back to the issue of consultancy again. I have outlined the model. We supplement the expertise in the Department by retaining consultants. Much of what we need externally is in terms of legal advice because we deal with intricate legal issues, especially on the property side and the banking side. I have a note on consultancy and other services, and it refers directly to Deputy Boyd...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: On the strategic investment bank, the NewERA legislation is at its final stages and we hope to have that in place this session. That is a strategic investment fund and the decision to grow that into a strategic investment bank has not yet been taken at Government level.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: To help Deputy Boyd Barrett and Deputies McGrath and Doherty, the breakdown I have of the consultancy under this head for 2014 is €4.3 million in banking and €1 million for the national payments initiative and for the single European payments area. There are many communications costs in making people aware of these, and they are a great benefit and are well worth doing. There...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: I can do so provided I know what further information is required. As far as I am concerned I have given him very specific answers to very specific questions. If more information is required that I am not aware of at present then the Deputy should ask for it and we will provide the information we have.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: The NAMA review is ongoing at present. It is being conducted internally in consultation with NAMA. It is a requirement under the Act and we will see what it comes up with. NAMA is subject to an awful lot of criticism and adverse briefing, principally driven by developers and builders who have a vested interest in putting out bad stories about NAMA. If one examines the situation in NAMA...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: It will not be weeks but I hope it will be months. I have not put a deadline on it.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: Yes; I will publish it.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: The Chairman will not let me reply to the Deputy.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: The general policy in the Irish public service is that expertise which is not available in-house is bought in or hired in as needed. It is done on the basis that particular expertise is not needed all the time and is only needed occasionally to address particular tasks. It can be compared to the what many of the Deputy's neighbours in his constituency in Dún Laoghaire would do when...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: They get paid but there are some transfer, placement and recruitment costs and so on.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: Yes. Again it is an indicative figure. As well as that-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: I do not want to be flippant about it but if the Deputy wants to know how it would cost that, he should do it retrospectively through the Committee of Public Accounts. When the money is spent, then a specific detailed answer can be given to him.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: We are dealing with an estimate of what senior civil servants believe may be a need under certain programmes and this amount of money goes in but until it is spent the specifics of it are not available. I can tell the Deputy the general purpose of it, the intent of it and the policy area in which it will be spent if it is spent. That is the position on it. The Deputy is treating Estimates...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: I want to continue and to answer the Deputy's other question. He also asked about-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: I would like to answer Deputy Doherty's other question and I will move on quickly.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: Another area where there is international participation is the IMF and the European Bank of Reconstruction Development postings. In the EBRD there are three posts - director, alternate director- adviser - and they rotate between Ireland, Denmark and Lithuania. There are three postings in the IMF also and that is part of that international element. On the transformational budget, the money...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: Departments tend to be generalist in nature. It would not be possible to retain on an in-house basis all the necessary levels of expertise that might potentially be required, particularly in respect of once-off functions. When, for example, we dealt with the arrangements relating to the promissory notes, there was a great deal of expertise in-house and there was also much expertise in the...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (15 Jan 2014)

Michael Noonan: The Deputy's initial comments ranged across a number of headings. He referred to the general level of consultancy provision for the Department and I replied to what he said.