Results 13,541-13,560 of 33,280 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Measures (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill has priority status for publication this session. While this is a relatively short Bill, there are a number of legal matters that need to be resolved before the Bill can be finalised for publication. Officials in my Department and in the Office of the Attorney General are working on the drafting of this Bill. When this drafting process is...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies Data (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Historically, there have not been comprehensive central guidelines for State companies regarding dividend policy although, traditionally, dividends of approximately 30% of profits after tax have been sought and expected from most commercial State companies. NewERA, in conjunction with the relevant Government Departments, has developed a Shareholder Expectations Framework which is intended to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Data (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to inform the Deputy that none of the staff in my Department are being paid at or less than the National Minimum Wage rate of pay that currently stands at €9.80 per hour.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Contracts Data (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy may be aware, my Department has confirmed as part of its Appropriation Accounts for 2017 and 2018 that it has ensured, among other things, that there is an appropriate focus on good practice in purchasing and that procedures are in place to ensure compliance with all relevant guidelines. The Comptroller and Auditor General has carried out reviews of a broad sample of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Meetings (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Since my appointment as Minister in summer 2016, I have had numerous meetings at which the National Children’s Hospital may have been discussed. These include meetings with my officials, with officials from the Department of Health, with political colleagues and, of course, with the Minister for Health, with whom I have met at least 50 times in Government Buildings during this time...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Meetings (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is a major infrastructural project. It aims to radically change the broadband landscape in this country, will involve State investment of up to €3bn, and will reach over half a million premises covered by the "Intervention Area". As such, since my appointment as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in May 2016, and particularly over the last...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Properties (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Property (including funds in bank accounts) which remains in the ownership of a liquidated company when it is dissolved becomes State property by virtue of Section 28 of the State Property Act, 1954. If Directors wish to regain property which has become State property in this manner, they are generally advised to restore the company. The Minister may, in accordance with Section 31 of the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am very happy to facilitate the committee in any way in respect of Thursday. On Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, however, a Eurogroup and ECOFIN meeting will take place in Brussels, to which I am due to travel, which might mean that for some of Thursday's meeting, the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, will have to take my place. Nevertheless, I intend to do everything else and,...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Will I begin with section 1?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: To clarify, I have been involved in making a decision on the matter. My intention is to carry out a formal review of the operation of the relief next year. There is unlikely to be a massive change but until the review is done, it remains appropriate to have an end date. Perhaps that will change when the review is complete.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: There are a considerable number of issues with the proposal Deputy Paul Murphy has made, including an Exchequer cost, significant erosion of the tax base, increased complexity of the tax system and an impact on the competitiveness of our tax code. The Deputy has not specified the level of income tax rates that would apply under the proposal. It is estimated, however, that the removal of the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I will respond to Deputy Murphy's question first. To deal with the whole issue of progressivity and fairness, we should have this discussion in the context of the fact that we have a very, very progressive and redistributive tax code in the first place. According to work done by the OECD we are the most progressive EU member state when it comes to the progressivity of our tax code and we...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy is correct. The credit is not available to individuals who are cohabiting. I shall inquire into the matter for him and maybe, in the context of Report Stage, give him a better answer.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I will do that. I can tell the Deputy that they are not included. In fairness to him, I will come back with the reason in advance of Report Stage.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: A review of the home carer tax credit was carried out this year by my Department and Revenue following the methodology outlined in the tax expenditure guidelines. The review was carried out to inform future policy making in this area and forms part of my Department’s ongoing commitment to reviewing tax expenditures on a regular basis. The issue raised by the Deputy was specifically...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I will deal with the different questions that have been put to me. I will begin with the shared point made by Deputies McGrath and Doherty on the issue of couples who are co-habiting but are not married. This is the reason I hesitated in giving a fuller answer to Deputy McGrath on an earlier section. I am aware of the legal reasons such couples are treated differently from married couples....

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Assuming, which is a reasonable assumption, that they are receiving child benefit.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Excuse me, the Deputy did.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Deputy McGrath is correct. I referred to that point in my own definition of the conditions for the home care tax credit and it is made clear on the website of the Revenue Commissioners. Turning to Deputy Doherty's question regarding defining "permanently incapacitated by reason of mental or physical infirmity", it is defined, according to the Revenue Commissioners, in practice by the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am wary for cost reasons alone, and I am also very careful when I am advised that there would be big difficulties in doing something. It is not something I will be proposing to move to in the medium term.