Results 17,501-17,520 of 33,392 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Heritage Sites (19 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Office of Public Works provides guided services at 70 historic sites nationwide, admitting 7.9m visitors in total at these locations last year. In addition to directly-managed sites, unaccompanied public access is also facilitated at approximately 300 open National Monuments such as Carrigafoyle Castle where visitors are free to enjoy these sites on a self guided basis. OPW...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service Staff Data (19 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Civil Service Mobility scheme which comes under the remit of my department, and is administered through HR Shared Service, National Shared Service Office, offers an opportunity for staff members to apply for mobility through an open and transparent system. The establishment of the scheme fulfils one of the requirements of Action 15 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan; and Action 14 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Budgets (19 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Appropriations-in-aid are Departmental receipts which, as set out in Public Financial Procedures, need not be paid directly into the Exchequer, but which may be retained to defray the expenses of the Vote to which they refer. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform databank, , sets out appropriations-in-aid for each Vote broken down into non-pay, pay, pensions, and capital. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Communications (19 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 210 together. The table below outlines the spend by my Department on marketing and media in the years 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018. The figures include, for example, awareness campaigns in relation to MyGovID and the work of the Office of Government Procurement which is part of the Department. At present, there are no figures available for the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: All that is true about what the Deputy said about banking pay and remuneration is that I have requested that an independent review of this issue be carried out. The main reason I have done that is I want the Irish taxpayers' money back. We invested billions upon billions of euro in the Irish banking system. Deputy Burton was a great critic of it at the time and she was correct to be a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I will take that question. The Government has brought forward a range of measures to give as much protection as possible to citizens who are facing great difficulty, whether mortgage holders or those who run or own small businesses. As the Deputy will be aware, recently I initiated through the Central Bank a review of the code of conduct on mortgage arrears. It shows that the measures we...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Earlier in the year, the Public Service Pay Commission published a set of proposals on this issue. The Government has already given a commitment that we will fund and implement these proposals for next year. A meeting of the oversight committee of the public service stability agreement is taking place tomorrow. As the Deputy will be aware, the way in which we engage with trade unions on...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Legislative Measures (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Bill to which the Deputy refers is a Private Member's Bill, which is being supported by the Government. It has not yet completed its passage through the Seanad. Responsibility for the implementation of the Bill, when enacted, will be a matter for the Central Bank of Ireland. How the legislation would operate in relation to a specific company will depend on exactly how the company...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Industry Regulation (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: At the outset I would like to say that as Minister for Finance, I am responsible for the development of the legal framework governing financial regulation, and have no role in the day to day supervision of insurance companies. I have therefore consulted with the Central Bank on the matters raised by the Deputy. The Central Bank has informed me that, as at 6 December 2018, 175 life...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Industry Regulation (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: At the outset, the Deputy should note that currently there is no European harmonised framework of insurance guarantee schemes (IGSs) for the insurance sector. Member States have therefore adopted their own approach to such policyholder protection schemes, which show noticeable differences in design features, such as scope, coverage and funding. These differences in national IGSs, together...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Industry Regulation (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: At the outset I would like to say that as Minister for Finance, I am responsible for the development of the legal framework governing financial regulation, and have no role in the day to day supervision of insurance companies. I have therefore consulted with the Central Bank on the matters raised by the Deputy. The Central Bank has advised me that the data sought by the Deputy regarding the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Ministerial Travel (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: In the time available, it has not been possible to compile all the information sought by the Deputy. However, my officials are continuing to assemble relevant details and I will forward the information to the Deputy as soon as the task is completed.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: NAMA Property Sales (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 to 141, inclusive, together. Earlier this month the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG) published guidelines for planning authorities entitled “Urban Development and Building Heights” available at: Responsibility for issuing those guidelines is the exclusive competence of the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Brexit Staff (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 144 together. I am advised by Revenue that they will require an additional 600 staff as a result of Brexit. This is based on the central case scenario of an orderly withdrawal, to include a transition period to the end of 2020, followed by an agreed future trading relationship between the EU and the UK. I am advised that Revenue’s...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Brexit Data (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, which aims to enhance international supply chain security and to facilitate legitimate trade, is open to all supply chain actors. There is no legal obligation for economic operators to become an AEO, it is a matter of choice for each operator based on their individual circumstances. I am advised by Revenue that 155 economic operators have...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Mortgage Lending (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As I stated in reply to a parliamentary question on 17 April this year the Central Bank has advised me that it does not publish figures on lifetime loans. These are niche products, usually provided to those aged 60 or older. The Consumer Protection Code 2012 defines ‘lifetime mortgage’ as - “a loan secured on a borrower’s home where: a) interest payments are...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: State Claims Agency Data (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: When performing its statutory functions regarding claims against the State, the National Treasury Management Agency is known as the State Claims Agency. The NTMA has informed me that discretionary performance-related payments are intended to reward exceptional performance having regard to the employee’s own performance, the performance of the employee’s area of responsibility,...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Excise Duties (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Excise duty on beer is charged based on the percentage, by volume, of alcohol in the beverage. Typically, the excise duty on a pint of beer is 54 cent. On the other hand non-alcoholic beer is not liable to any excise duty. The price of non-alcoholic beers is determined by retailers and publicans and this should reflect the fact that no excise applies to such products as well as other factors....

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Brexit Issues (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I, and my officials, have regular meetings and discussions with officials from the Central Bank of Ireland, in which Brexit is a regular topic. This engagement has enabled myself as Minister and my Department to ensure that full account of the impact of a hard Brexit is being taken into account. The Central Bank has statutory responsibility for financial stability. It has been working on...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Brexit Issues (18 Dec 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government has always been clear that Brexit, in whatever form it takes, will have a negative economic impact on Ireland. Indeed, the Department of Finance has been to the forefront in assessing the impact of Brexit on our economy – commissioning joint research with the ESRI on the issue, including before the actual referendum. What is clear from this research, and other studies,...