Results 15,201-15,220 of 32,726 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Film Industry Tax Reliefs (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 80 and 89 together. The Deputy will be aware that a number of amendments were made to Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 as part of Finance Act 2018. I would like to advise the Deputy that I signed the regulations and commencement order that give effect to the 2018 changes on the 27th of March. One of the most significant changes I made...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: VAT Registration (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: VAT is governed by the EU VAT Directive (Council Directive 2006/112/EC), with which Irish VAT law must comply. Article 284 of the Directive permits Ireland to maintain two thresholds - €75,000 for goods and €37,500 for services. Different VAT registration thresholds for the supply of goods and services are a feature of the EU VAT Directive and Irish VAT legislation and...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Treaties (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy will be aware that the OECD are carrying out further work on the reform of the international tax system to address the tax challenges arising from increasing digitalisation. There are two broad pillars to this work being discussed at the OECD. A first group of proposals advocate the need to reallocate a proportion of profits, and thus taxation rights,...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Brexit Issues (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Both my officials and I have discussed the recent joint ESRI and Department of Finance study of the potential macro-economic impacts of Brexit on the Irish economy. The research does not examine the implications of Brexit on an all-island basis. As the UK Government and other research institutes have assessed, Brexit will have a negative economic impact on the UK economy and the Northern...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: VAT Exemptions (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The VAT rating of goods and services is subject to EU VAT law, with which Irish VAT law must comply.  In accordance with the EU VAT Directive legal services are liable to VAT at the standard rate, currently 23%. In general, the VAT Directive provides that all goods and services are liable to VAT at the standard rate unless they fall within categories of goods and services specified...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Banking Operations (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy will be aware that a reduction in the level of non performing loans (NPLs) across European banks is a major priority for the European banking regulator, the SSM. Given this position, banking regulators have tasked each bank with developing and implementing strategies with the expectation that their ratios will be reduced towards the European average. Despite the significant number...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: House Prices (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Department of Finance continues to monitor all aspects of the housing market, including the impact of venture capital companies and other institutional investors. In fact, in February of this year my Department published a paper tilted ‘Institutional Investment in the Housing Market’. The paper describes how ownership of rental properties by large scale landlords -...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Home Repossessions Rate (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 93 together. I have been advised by the Central Bank of Ireland that their quarterly mortgage arrears, restructures and repossession statistics provides data on the number of property repossessions in a given quarter across all institutions. The reporting template is collected on an aggregate basis and the following tables summarises the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Credit Availability (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 102 together. As the Minister for Finance I have no function in the commercial decisions of banks, however it is Government policy to ensure there is an adequate supply of credit, including working capital, to all viable SMEs and Farms. The Central Bank of Ireland collects data on bank lending by NACE sector, and collects gross new lending...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Brexit Preparations (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government welcomed the decision of the recent European Council to an extension of the Article 50 process until 31 October 2019. The extension includes giving the UK flexibility to leave before that date should the Withdrawal Agreement be ratified.  The European Council decision made clear that the Withdrawal Agreement, including the backstop, cannot be re-negotiated and that any...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Corporation Tax Regime (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Ireland’s corporation tax regime is a core part of our economic policy mix and is a longstanding anchor of our offering on foreign direct investment (‘FDI’). At 12.5%, Ireland has one of the most competitive headline corporate tax rates in the OECD. This rate is applied to a broad base with limited deductions – a policy which is endorsed by the likes of the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Economic Policy (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As published in the Stability Programme Update for 2019, my Department provides a discussion of the risks to economy over the coming years. These are numerous and primarily external in nature. First and foremost is the ongoing uncertainty around Brexit. Joint research by the ESRI and my Department has shown the impact that a disorderly Brexit could have for the economy....

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Costs (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I am very conscious of the difficulties that increased insurance costs generally are having on many consumers, voluntary organisation and small businesses in this country.  That is why the completion of the Cost of Insurance Working Group’s (CIWG)  work remains very important in order to fully achieve its objectives of delivering fairer premiums for consumers and businesses,...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Costs (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: At the outset, I recognise that insurance costs are important in the context of ensuring the competitiveness of the economy and 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.  The Deputy will be aware that neither I, as...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Economic Data (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Irish economy continues to grow at a robust pace, with annual GDP growth of 6.7 per cent in 2018. However, over the last number of months uncertainty in the external environment has increased substantially.  The pace of growth has slowed in Ireland's key export markets, with a loss of momentum particularly evident in both the euro area and the UK. Accordingly the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Websites (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department has developed the gov.ie website which is a key tenant of the Public Service ICT strategy under Digital First. The objective of gov.ie is the creation of a shared website for all Departments, presenting content in an accessible manner for ease of online interaction for citizens and businesses. It will provide easy-to-find information about government services and will improve on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 109 together. I refer the Deputy to my reply to PQ 6225 of 7 February 2019. The position remains unchanged. The process of dismantling the Financial Emergency legislation commenced under the Lansdowne Road Agreement 2016-2018 and will be completed under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA). The PSSA, which was negotiated in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Garda Communications (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The current contract for the provision of radio services to An Garda Síochána and other emergency services is due to expire on 16 June 2019. This contract covers the provision of national narrowband secure digital radios network services as a managed service and as such no concession agreement was included in the contract. Officials of my Department are engaged in a in a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Officials of my Department are engaged in an OJEU procurement exercise to establish a new replacement framework for the delivery of a nation-wide, narrowband, secure, managed digital radio service for voice and data purposes and for the supply of associated services. It advertised its intention to procure replacement services in January 2017 and is currently in the process of a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Garda Communications (17 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Officials of my Department are engaged in a procurement exercise to establish a new replacement framework for the delivery of a nation-wide, narrowband, secure, managed digital radio service for voice and data purposes and for the supply of associated services. My officials solicited the views and requirements of all agencies currently using, and those who may use this network in...