Results 13,361-13,380 of 33,280 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Data (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Freedom of Information disclosure logs are routinely published by my Department, as required by the Freedom of Information Act 2014. The Department's disclosure logs are published on a quarterly basis and currently cover the period up to 30thSeptember 2019. These are available to view at this link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/ce2e67-foi-disclosure-log/.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Legislation (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The principle of abatement of a public service pension has always existed within the scheme rules of various public service pension schemes. Section 52(1) to 52(5) of the Public Service Pension (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 (the Single Scheme Act) extended abatement and provides that where a retired public servant, in receipt of a public service pension, is re-employed...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Advertising Campaigns (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department is represented on the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning and fully supports the Be Winter-Ready campaign. The 2019-20 campaign, jointly launched by a number of my Ministerial colleagues on 6thNovember, provides vital information and raises awareness about the particular challenges that winter can present and is a part of the ‘Whole of Government’ approach...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the committee for the invitation to attend. I look forward to a good exchange of views. I remind the committee of the Government's main priority in the framing of budget 2020, which is to help our economy and society to deal with the potential impacts of a disorderly Brexit. As the committee is aware, on 11 September the Government agreed to base budget 2020 on the assumption of a...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I will work through each of them in turn. I do not expect my Supplementary Estimates to vary from what I indicated on budget day. I expect they will be broadly in line with what we announced on budget day. Sometimes there is a degree of change because there are technical issues in various Departments that require an intervention but I am confident the figures I outlined on budget day, and...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Austerity tends to be defined by the reduction of Government expenditure over time, but this budget increased Government expenditure by €3.4 billion.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: To describe a budget as an austerity budget-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: -----when we increased overall expenditure is very odd.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy asked how topics were picked for the spending reviews, and there are two different ways. A Department may recommend a topic to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform or we may recommend one to it. The topics tend to be worked on between both Departments. The Deputy also asked about health. I understand that the Department of Health has received the HSE service action...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The work has been done, primarily by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, which has looked at the estimated cost of retrofitting our entire housing stock. Work has also been done by industry bodies. I do not have the figure for the total budget for this at the moment, but we can write to the committee with details. Some €13 million from the change in...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am sure the Deputy is referring to the €1.2 billion in the Brexit contingency framework. If a no-deal Brexit does not happen, the money will not be used for any other purpose and would transfer into an improved surplus position for next year of 0.5% of our national income. We would see a swing from an expected deficit next year of 0.6% of national income to a surplus of 0.5%. We...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: There are two different pillars of the potential OECD framework. Pillar 1 relates to taxing where value is created and pillar 2 refers to the requirement for a global minimum effective tax rate. The Deputy referred to our responsibility and Ireland has not received the recognition it has merited for the scale of change we have made to our tax code. Looking forward, I am clear that to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I will answer first the Deputy's questions about demographics and then deal with his questions about equality budgeting. We will absolutely support the committee in any work it plans to do in this area. For 2020 we have provided a sum of €451 million; for 2021, €455 million; and for 2022, €455 million. In my statement to the committee I outlined some of the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I was in the Dáil when that issue was raised, I think by the Deputy and another Independent colleague. We have since published the information we had available on the distributional analysis of budget 2020. It is to be found on the Department's website at budget.gov.ie. I will outline the figures for the Deputy. It is estimated that 29% of households will benefit as a result of the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Both Departments have always had on a strictly non-political and neutral basis the ability to cost all proposals from political parties and Independent politicians in advance of a general election. I do not see that work and have no role in it whatsoever. It is overseen by both Secretaries General and that will continue to be available and will be made available in advance of any election....

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Ex Post Budget Scrutiny: Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform (12 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Regarding the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, we will be contributing more to the budget. Later on in the Dáil this week, I will outline some of the issues and questions regarding all of this. The tone among my fellow finance ministers on the topic is very mixed. Many colleagues are resolutely opposed to any increase while a small number are willing to see some increase and...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Mortgage Repayments (7 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I have been advised by the Central Bank of Ireland (the Central Bank) that when a consumer takes out a loan from a regulated lender (“the original lender”) it is subject to all the relevant Irish and EU consumer protections. Most loan agreements include a clause that allows the original lender to sell the loan on to another firm. When a loan is sold, the relevant Irish and EU...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Central Bank of Ireland (7 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Central Bank of Ireland informs me that it ceased the inhouse printing of euro banknotes in April and is now sourcing euro banknotes from third parties in the euro area. The Central Bank has agreed to join the joint tendering group of euro Central Banks for the provision of its annual allocation of euro banknotes. I am informed that these matters have no impact on the supply of cash in...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Brexit Staff (7 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: In September 2018, the Government granted approval in principle for the phased recruitment of an additional 600 Revenue staff to meet the challenges posed by Brexit. Following a Government decision in December 2018, Revenue’s recruitment programme was accelerated in preparation for a potential no-deal Brexit. I am advised by Revenue that by 31 October 2019 recruitment had been...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Brexit Data (7 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by Revenue that currently 63,071businesses have an EORI number. 23,026of these businesses obtained an EORI number in 2019. I am further advised that Revenue’s analysis of the 2018 VAT Information Exchange System (VIES) returns, showed that some 94,000 businesses traded with the UK in 2018. Of these 94,000 businesses, approx. 55,500 do not currently have an EORI number....