Written Answers Nos. 64 - 72
64. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the position of 17 teachers who are employed by the International School of Martyrs, Tripoli, Libya, at which students sit the Irish leaving certificate examination and where staff are owed an estimated €200,000 from school management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25990/13]
View answerI understand that the teachers’ dispute with the ISM in Tripoli has been ongoing for some time. The case, however, has only been brought to the attention of my Department recently. The issue is currently being handled by the Department of Education and Science and the State Examinations Commission (SEC), which has been in direct contact with the ISM in Tripoli regarding the unpaid monies. The Irish Embassy in Rome, which is accredited to Libya, has also been kept fully informed of the situation and, at my direction, has made representations to both the Libyan government and to the International School of the Martyrs authorities seeking assistance and action to resolve this matter.
65. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when a passport will be issued to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26058/13]
View answerThe Passport Service wrote to the applicant in October of last year requesting further information in relation to the application. The application will be considered further on receipt of a response to the request.
66. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will outline the legal status and legislative base of Corps Diplomatique or CD sign usage on Irish car registration plates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26151/13]
View answerUnlike the situation in many countries, there is no system in Ireland for the issue of special CD vehicle license plates to members of the diplomatic corps. However, members of the diplomatic corps are entitled to certain protections under the Vienna convention. My Department is currently reviewing the practice prevailing in other European countries with regard to CD identification for the vehicles of accredited diplomats and will discuss the matter with other relevant government departments.
67. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 60 of 22 May 2013 regarding election observer rosters and the appeals mechanism for application reviews where a final review is to be carried out by a senior official who has not been involved in the selection process, if he will specify the length of time this appeal takes from the moment an appeal is lodged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26155/13]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has recently carried out a review of the election observation roster. Following a call for applications, which was issued by the Department, and an appraisal process against published criteria, 200 individuals with a strong mix of skills and experience were selected to serve on a new roster, which came into effect on 15 May 2013. Due to the high quality of applications for the roster, a reserve panel was established from which applicants will be drawn should any roster members leave the roster. In the event that any unsuccessful applicant for the election observation roster wishes to appeal the selection decision, a final review of the application will be carried out by a senior Department official who was not involved in the selection process. The final review should be completed within ten working days of receipt of the appeal.
68. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the Minister or Minister of State that represented Ireland at the Ministerial Council meetings of the European Union during the Irish Presidency of the Council to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26214/13]
View answerThe Council of the European Union is a key decision-making institution of the EU, at whose meetings all EU Member States are represented. In addition, I have also co-hosted one informal meeting of Foreign Ministers, a so-called “Gymnich” meeting. Due to prior diary commitments, I was unable to attend the Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council (Mali) meeting on 17 January 2013, convened at short notice to consider the situation in Mali. Ireland was represented, at the meeting, by the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for European Affairs, Ms Lucinda Creighton, T.D.
In addition, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr Alan Shatter, T.D., represented Ireland at one meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council dedicated to Defence matters. The Minister of State with Responsibility for Trade and Development, Mr Joe Costello, T.D., represented Ireland at one meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council dedicated to Development Policy issues.
Details of attendance, at meetings of the General Affairs Council, the Foreign Affairs Council and “Gymnichs” since 1 January 2013, are listed below.
|
Date |
Meeting |
Irish representation |
|
17 January 2013 |
Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council (Mali) |
Minister of State with Special Responsibility For European Affairs, Ms Lucinda Creighton, T.D. |
|
31 January 2013 |
Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. Minister of State with Special Responsibility for European Affairs, Ms. Lucinda Creighton T.D. |
|
4 February 2013 |
General Affairs Council, Brussels |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. Minister of State with Special Responsibility for European Affairs, Ms. Lucinda Creighton T.D. |
|
18 February 2013 |
Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. |
|
11 March 2013 |
Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. |
|
11 March 2013 |
General Affairs Council, Brussels |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. Minister of State with Special Responsibility for European Affairs, Ms. Lucinda Creighton T.D. |
|
22 - 23 March 2013 |
Informal Foreign Affairs Council (Gynmich), Dublin |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. |
|
22 April 2013 |
General Affairs Council, Luxembourg |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. Minister of State with Special Responsibility for European Affairs, Ms. Lucinda Creighton T.D. |
|
22 April 2013 |
Foreign Affairs Council, Luxembourg |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. |
|
23 April 2013 |
Foreign Affairs Council (Defence), Luxembourg |
Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D. |
|
21 May 2013 |
General Affairs Council, Brussels |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. |
|
27 May 2013 |
Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels |
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. |
|
28 May 2013 |
Foreign Affairs Council (Development), Brussels |
Minister of State with Responsibility for Trade and Development, Mr. Joe Costello, T.D. |
69. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of parliamentary replies issued by him to this Deputy in 2013 containing an undertaking to provide extra information requested; the date of the question in each case; the date on which the information was provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26229/13]
View answerMy Department seeks to ensure that any extra information to be provided as a follow-up to a Parliamentary Question is made available as quickly as possible. I am not aware of any undertakings to provide extra information in my replies to Parliamentary Questions from the Deputy in 2013. However, if he has concerns that undertakings to provide information that I have given through a Parliamentary Question have not been met, he should raise the specific matter with me and I will ensure that it receives an immediate response.
70. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a projection on the expected GNP of Ireland in the next three years including redomiciled public limited companies and excluding redomiciled public limited companies. [25969/13]
View answerThe Department’s latest forecast for gross national product (GNP) at current market prices, are set out below. These are consistent with the GNP forecasts of April 30 as set out in the Ireland Stability Programme - April 2013 Update.
|
- |
2012* |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
Nearest €25m |
|||||
|
Nominal GNP |
133,400 |
136,275 |
140,550 |
145,225 |
150,300 |
*Outturn
Recent research by the ESRI suggests that exclusion of certain re-domiciled UK plcs would subtract about €5.7bn from GNP in 2011 and about €7.4bn in 2012. Along with all other forecasting institutions, my Department forecasts GNP in a manner which is consistent with the GNP estimates produced by the Central Statistics Office on a quarterly basis. Departmental officials are aware of the impact of the re-domciled plc issue, however, and will continue to monitor its impact over the near term.
71. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance what Ireland’s GNI for the past five years would have been excluding redomiciled public limited companies; and the amount by which Ireland’s contribution to the EU budget would have been reduced if these redomiciled public limited companies were excluded from the GNI figures for these years. [25970/13]
View answerGross National Income (GNI) figures for Ireland are prepared by the CSO as part of the national accounts. These figures are published annually in the National Income and Expenditure accounts, with the latest available final figures to 2011. The re-domiciled public limited companies (PLCs) are resident in Ireland and must be incorporated into our National statistics. In accordance with the European and International Statistical Standards, the CSO is not required to produce a separate series which excludes the impact of these entities on GNI. However, to assist analysis of the macroeconomic accounts for Ireland, the ESRI recently published an estimate of the retained profits relating to these re-domiciled PLCs. From this, it can be estimated that by 2011 the impact represented about 4.5% of GNI. Taking account of this analysis and the significance of the GNI key in the calculation of Ireland’s overall contribution, indicative estimates for the 2009-2011 period would suggest that the impact of these redomiciled PLCs upon our budget contributions was to increase the amount paid in by Ireland. The following table sets out an estimate for the years 2009 – 2011 of what the annual impact might have been, if the effect arising from the redomiciled PLCs was excluded.
Estimated Annual Impact from Adjusted GNI
|
- |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
|
Estimated additional EU Budget contribution was of the order of … |
€15m |
€40m |
€45m |
The Deputy will be aware that the use of GNI as a contribution key favours Ireland, as unlike other countries this is significantly lower than our GDP. It accounts for about two thirds of our EU Budget contribution. It should be noted that in overall terms, under the current MFF 2007-2013, Ireland remains a net beneficiary from the EU Budget.
72. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Finance the reason persons who paid their local property tax via the revenue website have not been issued with a receipt of their payment; if these persons will receive an official receipt of their payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25986/13]
View answerI am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that since July 2011 paper receipts no longer issue in respect of tax payments generally. This decision was taken on the basis that the vast majority of taxpayers conduct business with Revenue via its online service, or via their employer, if they pay income tax under PAYE. These services facilitate direct access to payment information and therefore customers have no need for a paper receipt. The change has resulted in significant cost savings in terms of postage, stationery and staff resources.
This arrangement now applies to Local Property Tax (LPT). Customers who file online receive an online acknowledgement and have ongoing access to their return and payment details. I am also advised that, where customers opt to pay LPT using one of the Revenue appointed third party payment service providers, receipts will issue for each payment made. The appointed payment service providers are An Post Taxpay, Payzone and Omnivend. Similarly, customers who file online over the telephone via the LPT helpline receive a paper acknowledgement of their payment from Revenue within two weeks. Customers who file and pay using the paper LPT return do not receive a paper receipt. They will have evidence of LPT payments through their own financial institution records. However, in circumstances where a payment fails for whatever reason, Revenue will make direct contact with the customer.
