Results 17,901-17,920 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Banking Sector Regulation: Banking Sector Regulation (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: The Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Act 2003 established the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority. The post of consumer director is specifically provided for within the structure of the financial regulator established under that Act. The director exercises important consumer protection powers under legislation, including those under section 149 of the...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: The issue of paying family income supplement through the tax system was considered in late 2002 by a working group established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness to examine the role which refundable tax credits can play in the tax and welfare system. The group was made up of representatives of the social partners and was chaired by my Department. A perception existed at the time...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 68 together. The Government is committed to having the minimum wage exempt from tax. However, we are also committed to sustaining economic growth and keeping the public finances in a healthy condition. The question of restoring the position which applied after budget 2005 where those earning the minimum wage were removed from the tax net will be a...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: Deficits in pension funds arise for a number of reasons and can be of a temporary nature or may be more significant. It is a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant company, fund, trustees, members and board to deal with any such situation, subject to the necessary legislation and regulation by the Pensions Board as appropriate. In the non-commercial State sector, the funding...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: I refer the Deputy to the response which I gave to a similar parliamentary question tabled by him for answer on 27 April. The question of the funding situation in pension schemes in the commercial State sector is primarily a matter for the board of each organisation directly concerned and I would expect that any relevant issues will be brought to the attention of the Ministers directly...

Written Answers — Programmes for Government: Programmes for Government (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy will be aware, progress on the implementation of the Government programme is kept constantly under review. The second annual progress report of this Government was published on 1 August 2004. Work is currently under way on the third annual progress report. This will show the good record of further progress towards meeting the commitments detailed in the programme.

Written Answers — Interest Rates: Interest Rates (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: I welcome the publication by IFSRA, the financial regulator, of the credit card cost survey. The financial regulator publishes cost surveys twice a year on credit card charges. The cost surveys are designed to help consumers compare product costs between the main providers. The surveys set out the interest, fees and introductory offers available on credit cards. The information provided is...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy may be aware, I appeared in the programme to which he refers. I would have to point out that tax reliefs are not available solely to the well off. In fact, many of the costliest reliefs in terms of tax foregone are widely availed of by all or several classes of taxpayers, for example, the exemption of child benefit from income tax, employer and employee pensions costs relief,...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: There are currently eight EU directives for which my Department has responsibility which have yet to be implemented. The deadline has passed in the case of two of these directives. One of these two was transposed through the Finance Act 2005 and the Commission has now been notified of this fact. The second one will be transposed shortly by statutory instrument. The details of each of the...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 110 together. The issue of tax reliefs is a matter for the budget when decisions will be made in the light of the detailed review of various tax reliefs currently being undertaken as set out in my 2005 Budget Statement.

Written Answers — Criminal Prosecutions: Criminal Prosecutions (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that there are two ways in which a taxpayer may have been in breach of the amnesty, first, in making a false declaration or, second, in not making a declaration. I am informed that the Revenue Commissioners do not have figures for the number of detected breaches of the amnesty. Given the confidentiality conditions built into the 1993 amnesty...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: The residence rules were last updated by the Fianna Fáil-Labour Government in the 1994 Finance Act following a comprehensive review of the matter by the Revenue Commissioners and my Department. A person is regarded as resident in Ireland for tax purposes in a particular tax year if he or she spends: 183 days in the State in that year, or 280 days in aggregate in that tax year and the...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: The latest figures from the central applications facility show there is very substantial interest in the programme. During the period for priority applications up to 7 September 2004, 8,958 applications made up of 8,152 civil servants and 806 public servants were received by the Public Appointments Service. Of these, 4,813 were from people — 4,236 civil servants and 577 public servants —...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that precise figures are not available as to the number of letters which issued from the financial institutions. It is understood to be in excess of 100,000. It is not known how many accounts or individuals this represents because some individuals had accounts in different banks or in different branches of the same bank. In other instances, there was...

Written Answers — Ministerial Meetings: Ministerial Meetings (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 96 together. I, along with my colleague the Minister for Agriculture and Food, met the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development in Brussels on 12 May last to discuss the Commission's ongoing assessment of the stallion stud fee exemption in the context of EU state aid rules. At the meeting, I took the opportunity to outline the background to...

Written Answers — Revenue Investigations: Revenue Investigations (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that they are conducting their investigation into tax liabilities which relate to undisclosed funds invested in life assurance investment products in two stages. In the first stage of these inquiries taxpayers, who invested undisclosed and undeclared funds in life assurance products were given until the 23 May 2005 to give notice to Revenue of their...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy is aware in my 2005 Budget Statement, I announced that my Department and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners are to undertake a detailed review of certain tax incentive schemes and tax exemptions in 2005. This review will evaluate their impact and operation including their economic and social benefits for the different locations and sectors involved and to the wider...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that statistics are maintained on the basis of the number of balancing statements issued as against the number of requests received for balancing statements. A separate balancing statement is issued in respect of each year involved in the review request. The number of reviews of their tax liability sought by PAYE taxpayers in the past five years...

Written Answers — Capital Expenditure: Capital Expenditure (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy is aware, agreement on a package of reforms to the Stability and Growth Pact, SGP, was reached at the spring European Council of 22-23 March 2005. The new measures underline the continued European commitment to fiscal discipline, while acknowledging the need for economic realism, for example, by allowing member states more time to correct excessive deficits in circumstances...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Jun 2005)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy may wish to note that this parliamentary question was asked on 27 April 2005 and that I am providing the same data in the reply as I did then because the National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission has not published any new data in the interim. The 2003 annual report of the National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission shows that at 31 December 2003 the market value of the fund was...