Results 18,721-18,740 of 32,864 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Reliefs Abolition (4 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: A review of the appropriate treatment for tax purposes of trade union subscriptions and professional body fees was carried out by my Department in 2016 and included in the 2016 report on tax expenditures published on budget day 2016. The review may be found at the following link: ( The review concluded that: "...analysis of the scheme using the principles laid down by the Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Tribunals of Inquiry Recommendations (4 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: In response to the Deputy's question, the Moriarty Tribunal made a number of recommendations which affected a number of Government Departments. As Minister for Finance I can only respond in relation to the recommendations made in relation to my own Department. The tribunal pointed out problems to be addressed in our system of financial regulation.  Poor supervision, an overly...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Contracts Data (4 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Year Name of company Amount Purpose 2016 IPSOS MRBI €27,060 A survey of Civil Service customers 2016 Perceptive Insight €18,425 A survey of Civil Service business customers 2016 RED C €28,290 Preparatory work on Gov.ie Portal 2016 Gartner €127,428 Provision of research and analysis...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Community Sector High Level Forum (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The difficulty we have with this is the massive costs relating to it that we outlined in response to the Private Members' motion from the Deputy's party. I have shared and indicated in the Dáil before that we estimate the potential cost to the State of this as being between €188 million and €347 million per annum. This is in addition to the call for the Exchequer to...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Community Sector High Level Forum (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I do not know what the difficulty is with the publication of minutes from the previous forum meetings. I will follow up on that. We have not been able to reach agreement on the matter because, while the Deputy is speaking strongly about those who are especially affected by this, if the State were to agree to funding pensions for organisations to which it has contributed but which are not of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Public Sector Pay (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Two different elements are at play. I will publish the legislation on Thursday. There will be a Government meeting that morning, to which I will bring legislation in order to deliver what the Deputy mentioned. I hope and anticipate that it will be agreed by the Government and published that day. Depending on whether the Business Committee makes time available, I expect the legislation to...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Public Sector Pensions (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: That is a different matter than how the Deputy's written question was interpreted. The written question refers to the supplementary pension, which I took to refer to the future of auto-enrolment. Clearly, the Deputy-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Public Sector Pensions (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am aware of the matter-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Public Sector Pensions (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: No, I will answer the question the Deputy has just raised. Her previous question was on the abolition of the retirement age for people who worked in our public services.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Public Sector Pensions (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Yes. The Deputy's current question is on the principle of abatement and why it is the case that someone who avails of the interim arrangements returns on the minimum point on the salary scale, which gives the appearance of his or her weekly or monthly income being below what it was. We now have a well-established principle in our public services that, if a retiree is rehired, he or she...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Public Sector Pensions (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy spoke about retaining experienced staff. Thankfully, people are staying healthy for longer and many want to work for longer. People also find themselves having to support families now in a way that previous generations did not. The Deputy asked for a plan. We have one. It is in the legislation that I will bring to the Government meeting on Thursday. Once passed, it will...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Community Sector High Level Forum (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: An issue that has been under discussion by the community sector high level forum relates to CE supervisors and assistant supervisors, who have been seeking, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a Labour Court recommendation. The group met in April 2017. My Department outlined its intention to conduct a detailed scoping exercise. A meeting of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Public Sector Pay (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The State has no intention to exploit anybody for their services or work. We do not. If the Deputy or any group have concerns in this regard they know all the mechanisms and options that are open to them. I had hoped that Deputy Barry's views on the job market would also acknowledge the latest unemployment figures, which have come from the CSO today, that show the unemployment rate is...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Public Sector Pay (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Because of changes we have seen in Dublin and some of the other larger cities I absolutely understand that those people who work in our public services, and especially during the early part of their careers, are facing challenges around affordability for rent or mortgage payments. I can see this in many parts of the country and I can see it happening in Dublin. I shall outline our response...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Sale of State Assets (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, the intention when Bord Gáis Energy was sold was that €400 million from the proceeds would be made available to establish an off-balance sheet financial vehicle to provide financing to approved housing bodies, AHBs. This funding, together with additional private funding, would then facilitate the provision of additional housing units by the AHB...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Sale of State Assets (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As to where that money currently sits, an amount of money like that would sit on the State balance sheet. It is managed by the National Treasury Management Agency. On the question of what interest rate it has accrued for the State, given how low interest rates have been in recent years, I expect the interest benefits delivered to the State will have been very low across the period. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Sale of State Assets (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Given the Deputy is directing his questions to me, I should point out that at the time of budget 2015 I was not the Minister for Finance or the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. However, I take responsibility for commitments that are made-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Sale of State Assets (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: -----by either of my Departments up to this point. Regarding who manages the money, I have answered that question.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Sale of State Assets (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As to the benefit the State might gain from it, money that goes onto the State balance sheet in the way this windfall gain would have done reduces the net indebtedness of our State. That, in turn, means we can fund ourselves better than we would be able to do otherwise. In terms of where the other €200 million would reside and how it would be used-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Sale of State Assets (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: -----as I said, the commitment is for at least a 20-year period and if an extension of funding is needed beyond that 20-year period to move forward on an affordable housing project, I would be happy to give that commitment and I will work with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Murphy, on it.