Results 15,001-15,020 of 32,572 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: We keep this matter under review all the times. As the Deputy will be aware, every quarter we publish all of the different information on the performance of mortgages and how the issue of non-payment of arrears is dealt with. I regularly meet the banks at CEO and chairperson level and I raise these issues at each of these meetings. The Deputy will know that we are making and have made...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am well aware of what is happening, as Deputy Doherty put it, underneath my nose. I am aware of the number of mortgages that have been successfully restructured. The number of mortgages in arrears is declining but citizens still face challenges if they find they are in arrears and are worried about their future. This is why we have organisations like Abhaile and the Insolvency Service of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: NAMA Transactions (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The figures I have shared with the Deputy are figures that have been shared with me by NAMA and put into a different light the statement made by the United Nations on the operation of NAMA. By sharing this information with the Tánaiste, I have no doubt at all that these perspectives will be shared with the UN in response to the communication that it has issued. The Deputy referred...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: NAMA Transactions (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am not involved in the detail or decisions that are made in individual court cases. The Deputy will be aware as to how NAMA has been set up. I am responsible for setting its mandate and for influencing and setting the objectives it wants to fulfil but it has independence as to how it goes about that. That firewall is also in place to ensure that it is able to fulfil its mandate in a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am aware of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight's work in the area of tax expenditures, and the publication of a report on the topic earlier this month. The committee met with representatives of my Department and Revenue in January 2019. It also met separately with the Parliamentary Budget Office, and with the economist, Dr. Micheál Collins from the school of social policy in UCD....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: It is worthwhile acknowledging that all tax expenditures that have been commenced since 2014 have been subject to sunset clauses. Since that point in time, we have brought in the requirement the Deputy is referring to. In the last four annual reviews done via the tax strategy groups, we have looked at different elements of tax expenditures. In the 2018 report, for example, we included...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: NAMA Transactions (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised that the formal response to the UN joint communication relating to housing will be delivered by the Tánaiste in early May and that input for this response is currently being gathered, including in my Department. In the context of the UN communication relating to NAMA, I wish to clarify a number of points.  First, I am advised that the reference to a figure of 93% in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Insurance Industry (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I agree with the Deputy that the matter has to move beyond simply attacking those within the industry. That is why the work the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, has done is so important because he is looking to tackle some of the root issues that are contributing to this problem. I also agree with the Deputy that if costs in this area for those who are providing insurance are high, and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Insurance Industry (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Regarding the timelines the Deputy restated on the basis of what I said to him a moment ago, that is correct. However, to be clear again it is a matter for the judicial council, when implemented, and the content of its guidelines. If the House or I as Minister begin to determine or look to influence its work it would set us down a path of undermining the council and the effect it may have...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Insurance Costs (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am very conscious of the difficulties being faced by certain small businesses in obtaining insurance and that a number of such businesses have had to close or are facing closure if they are unable to get cover. I believe that the issue of the rising cost of insurance and, in some cases its unavailability, is linked to high award levels particularly for soft tissue injuries, as well as...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Insurance Costs (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I absolutely understand the severity of the issues Deputy Burton is referring to. The Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, has outlined the different steps that Government is taking to respond to what I know is a very serious matter in our economy and society. He has been in very regular contact with An Garda Síochána and the Garda Commissioner about many aspects of this issue. He...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Insurance Costs (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government is willing to reform. I am aware for example that one sentence has already been handed down for some of the criminal activity that has caused the difficulties facing citizens. I fully accept that this issue is having a very strong effect on the operation of business within our society and the delivery of services and activities that matter to our citizens. I refer to the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Insurance Industry (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I will refer to the actions that have been taken because the Deputy is correct that this is a matter that has dominated priority questions but as I am sure he will appreciate regardless of whether it is dominating these questions I am aware of how serious the issue is and of the work that the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, is doing to tackle this issue. Before I answer the Deputy's...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Central Bank of Ireland Reports (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, I am committed to introducing a Central Bank (amendment) Bill that will increase individual accountability in the financial sector. As I have stated previously, the need to rebuild trust in the banking sector is a priority for this Government. Indeed, international evidence illustrates that improvements in banking culture, through increased individual...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Central Bank of Ireland Reports (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: My message to the House is very clear. I am going to bring in this legislation as soon as possible. There are many delicate constitutional matters that we have to deal with and I am determined that we will deal with them. I refer in particular to Articles 37 and 38 of the Constitution, which concern the limits to which judicial powers can be exercised other than by the courts and the right...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Central Bank of Ireland Reports (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I will reaffirm again my determination that this Bill be implemented as soon as possible. The Deputy mentioned what citizens want to hear about the ability of such legislation to be effectively implemented. This has to be done in a way that is fully consistent with our Constitution. When the legislation is used, it must be capable of withstanding legal challenge. That is what we are going...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Property Tax Review (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Three points were put to me. First, in terms of the number of properties that are covered by the exemption to which the Deputy referred, the figure he used is higher than figures that have been shared with me to date.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Property Tax Review (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I do not have the figure available to me now, but I will share it with the Deputy and I will come back to him on it. In relation to his second question on whether concerns were raised with me, the advice that I have received on this matter showed that it is within the power that is available to me to continue with the deferral for one year on the basis of an order. In response to when I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Property Tax Review (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The review I initiated of the local property tax has been completed by the Department of Finance in conjunction with the Departments of the Taoiseach, Public Expenditure and Reform and Housing, Planning and Local Government, as well as the Revenue Commissioners. In accordance with its terms of reference, the review focused on the impact of house prices on LPT liabilities under a series of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Property Tax Review (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: On the Deputy’s question about receiving legal advice on this course of action, yes, I had an extensive amount of engagement within the Government on this issue. I believe a deferral of one year, while showing that I intend to use that period in order to gain agreement for the future of this tax and its retention, is well inside the space of what can be deemed constitutional. I...