Results 18,561-18,580 of 27,080 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Harbour Authorities (24 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 622. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will confirm that all moneys agreed to be repaid by a person (details supplied), a former director of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, back to the company in relation to expenses, the subject of previous parliamentary questions, have been repaid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7867/15]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Misconduct Allegations (19 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 16. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she has given further consideration to requests by a person (details supplied) and that person's legal representatives for inclusion on the review panel into cases of Garda misconduct; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7115/15]

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I have specific questions on the particular subheads but, more generally, the Minister mentioned that the Department has expended some extra money looking at the property tax. Is that correct?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: And the Minister subcontracted a bit of work to Deputy Michael McGrath as well.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Has the Minister looked at, or does he intend to put any resources into looking at, something that we and others have raised in the context of wealth taxes, namely, wealth distribution? While I do not know what the Minister's view is, there has been much dispute and debate about where wealth is distributed. Has he thought at all about allocating some resources to-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will not get into the political debate now, although I am sure we will have that debate again. A lot of that has to do with income. A particular area to which, it seems to me, it would be worth allocating resources is examining the distribution of wealth in terms of financial wealth and assets. Certainly, when issues such as a wealth tax are raised, one of the standard responses is that...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Does the Minister think he should?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is it of no interest to the Minister if there is a heavy concentration of wealth in a small number of hands?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I would strongly suggest that the Minister do that. If we ever get the chance, we will. With regard to expenses pertaining to office premises, the 2014 estimate was €649,000 and the 2015 estimate is €1,389,000. That is a big jump, almost a doubling of expenses. What is the reason for that?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I do not understand it. Health and safety considerations have increased the total from €394,000 in 2014 to €1,389,000 in 2015?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It does seem like a big jump from €394,000 in 2014 to €1,389,000 in 2015.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Okay. Subhead C4 deals with consultancy services. There is a jump from €161,000 in 2013 to €575,000 in 2014 and then to €850,000 in 2015.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: For clarity on that.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: One could construe that in a different way, which is that we are paying a fortune to consultants to ensure that multinational corporations do not have to pay any more tax because of the international focus on this country

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am. I am saying that we are seeing a significant increase in the expenditure on consultants essentially around protecting a low tax regime for corporations. We are spending taxpayers' money to ensure that mostly foreign multinationals pay a very low rate of tax. Is that why these consultants are being employed?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I would question that expenditure because we are spending taxpayers' money - taxpayers who do pay a high proportion of their income in tax - to ensure the multinationals, who pay a very low proportion of profits on tax, continue to pay a low proportion of their profits in tax. We are increasing the public subsidy of maintaining low taxes on multinational corporations. That is a gross waste...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is a big jump. I hope it gets a result.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I have just one quick question.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It will take less time than that. In the context of the deployment of staff and resources in the Revenue Commissioners, I am interested in how much resources are deployed in chasing after what one might call the big corporate avoiders, the big fish as against those who have not paid their property tax. Rather than go through all of that now, could the Minister provide a breakdown of the...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Office of the Appeal Commissioners (Revised) (18 Feb 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Yes.