Results 13,441-13,460 of 32,547 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Fees (24 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: It should be noted from the outset that in practice fees for making FOI requests were largely abolished under the Freedom of Information Act 2014. In general, no fee whatsoever is charged for applications under the 2014 Act by an individual for their personal information. This applies at all stages the FOI process, including with respect to a review by the Information Commissioner. Based...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (24 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 126 to 133, inclusive, 136 and 137 together. The main civil service pay scales are published in circulars which are a matter of public record and available at . Rates from these scales have also been included in the list below for convenience. Annual Wage Whole time as of 1stSeptember 2019 Grade Minimum Scale point PPC€ Max Scale Point / Long...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (24 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised that officials from my Department have met with representatives of Wicklow County Council to discuss the future of Rockbrae House and surrounding lands and are currently waiting for an updated position from the Council with regard to any potential proposals they have for the property. Until these considerations are advanced I am unable to provide a position on the future of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Garda Remuneration (24 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: This question would be a matter for the Minister of Justice and Equality as Garda Síochána staff are employed by his Department.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Oireachtas Members' Remuneration (24 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 to 148, inclusive, together. The information requested by the Deputy is as follows: Estimated annual savings to be made by: € Capping TDs’ salaries at €75,000 3,423,860 Capping Senators’ salaries at €60,000 507,120 Reducing the allowances (i.e. salaries excluding TD element) of Ministers and An Taoiseach by 50%...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Shared Services (24 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I have been informed by the National Shared Services Office (NSSO), who are responsible for the Payroll Shared Services Centre, of recent issues with the payroll system and the Core online portal. The NSSO have advised that there was a major power incident on Wednesday 28th August 2019 affecting the relevant Government data centre which hosts the Civil Service, and some Public Service,...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: During the course of the Finance Bill process last year, the betting sector raised concerns regarding the impact of the duty increases on their sector, especially on small independent bookmakers who might have difficulty competing with larger bookmakers with retail and/or online operations. The industry proposed that the current turnover based model be replaced with a gross profits...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Universal Social Charge (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: When the USC was introduced in Budget 2011, individuals aged 70 years and over and individuals holding a full medical card were not liable to the top rates of the charge. The maximum rate of charge for such individuals at that time was 4%, irrespective of the level of their income, unless they had non-PAYE income (such as investment or self-employment income) in excess of €100,000 for...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Property Tax Administration (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by Revenue that the full range of its collection and enforcement options applies  in relation to the local property tax (LPT) as it does in relation to other taxes and duties under its care and management. As with other taxes and duties, penalties can be imposed for various offences such as failure to submit returns or other documentation or the provision of false...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: VAT Rate Application (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 57 together. My Department carried out a public consultation on the taxation of food supplement products, which sought input from a wide range of interested parties, including from health and nutrition experts, and the Minister for Health. Separately, correspondence has been received from several organisations on the subject of the matter,...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Vehicle Registration (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 67 together. The European Commission did not recommend widening the CO2 bands within the VRT regime. It did state that it is for Member States to decide when and how to adjust national car taxation schemes in light of the introduction of the WLTP emissions test. It further stated that the introduction of WLTP does not necessarily result in higher car...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Central Bank of Ireland (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The independence of the Central Bank of Ireland is provided for in Section 6(1)(A) of the Central Bank Act 1942, as amended. It is also enshrined in European statute by the Rome Treaty and the ESCB Statute.  I view this independence as vital in performing the Bank’s functions and also in terms of providing unbiased advice to Government and the Oireachtas.  Given these...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: VAT Rate Reductions (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The 9% VAT rate was introduced as a temporary measure in 2011, due to cease at the end of 2013. This period was subsequently extended, but in 2017 a commitment was given to undertake a review of the 9% VAT rate. This review was published in July 2018 and the Budget decision to increase the VAT rate was made following that analysis.  This review assessed the relevance,...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Banking Sector Regulation (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am aware that the Clerk of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach had written to the Secretary General of the Department of Finance, drawing his attention to statements made to that Committee on 28 May 2019 relating to accounting standards and I understand that a reply has issued to the Committee. Statutory requirements and international rules...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Reliefs Data (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 63 together. I am informed by Revenue that the cost of the Special Assignee Relief Programme (SARP) for years 2012-2016 (the latest year for which data are available), along with the number of claimants per year, broken down by income range, is available on the Revenue website at . The following table sets out the information the Deputy asked for in...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Brexit Staff (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Budget 2017 provided Revenue with resources for an additional 40 staff to prepare for Brexit.  These staff were recruited and trained in 2017 and 2018. 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. I am advised by Revenue that 519 of these staff have already been ...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Departmental Staff Data (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 66 together. I wish to inform the Deputy that the Regulation of Lobbying Act was enacted in 2015. Section 22 of the Act provides that specific categories of Designated Public Officials (“DPOs”) are subject to a one-year “cooling-off” period, during which they cannot engage in lobbying activities in specific circumstances,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates Process (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Supplementary Estimates are an important element of our expenditure management toolkit, allowing for the proper alignment of resources with allocations. Due to the scale of Government expenditure and the cash basis of Government accounting, the need for Supplementary Estimates can arise for a number of reasons, including policy decisions, timing issues and overspends. The attached document...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Project Ireland 2040 Administration (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Investment Projects and Programmes tracker is currently being revised and updated. It focuses mainly on projects with estimated costs greater than €20 million. The updated version of the tracker will be published in autumn 2019. It will contain information on the current status of projects and also columns detailing expected project construction commencement and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Data (19 Sep 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Mid-Year Expenditure Report, published in July of this year, set out baseline current expenditure ceilings on a Ministerial level to 2022. These ceilings are inclusive of pre-committed expenditure of €0.5 billion per annum for demographics in the areas of Health, Social Protection and Education. These are primary areas of current expenditure that are particularly impacted by...