Thursday, 12 Jul 2018

Written Answers Nos. 93-108

Tax Yield

Questions (93)

Eamon Ryan

Question:

93. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Finance the amount it would cost to reduce the VRT rate on electric vehicles to 0%. [32175/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

I am advised by Revenue that to reduce the VRT rate on electric vehicles to 0% would cost approximately €3 million per annum. This is based on the estimated sales of electric vehicles in 2018 and assumes no behavioural change.

Motor Insurance Coverage

Questions (94, 97, 98)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

94. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Finance the measures he is taking to assist motorists with vehicles older than ten years who cannot obtain motor insurance despite having an NCT; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31634/18]

Imelda Munster

Question:

97. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to a situation whereby owners of vehicles over ten years old who have valid NCTs have significant difficulties in insuring these vehicles at a reasonable price; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31674/18]

Pearse Doherty

Question:

98. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the actions being taken to ensure that car owners with older cars are not excluded from the insurance market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31676/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

I propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 97 and 98 together.

Both the Minister of State for Financial Services and Insurance, Mr. Michael D’Arcy T.D., and I are well aware of the concerns raised by the Deputies. However, it should be noted that neither I nor the Central Bank of Ireland can interfere in the provision or pricing of insurance products, as these matters are of a commercial nature, and are determined by insurance companies based on an assessment of the risks they are willing to accept. This position is reinforced by the EU framework for insurance which expressly prohibits Member States from adopting rules which require insurance companies to obtain prior approval of the pricing or terms and conditions of insurance products.

Policy in relation to the NCT lies with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. A valid NCT is generally a minimum requirement in order for an insurer to provide cover. It is, however, not the only rating factor taken into account in the provision of motor insurance; therefore, just because a car has a valid NCT does not automatically mean that an insurer will offer cover. In making their individual decisions on whether to offer cover and what terms to apply, insurers will also use a combination of other rating factors, which include the age of the vehicle, as well as the type of vehicle, the age of the driver, the relevant claims record and driving experience, the number of drivers and how the car is used. My understanding is that insurers do not all use the same combination of rating factors, and as a result prices and availability of cover varies across the market. In addition, insurers will price in accordance with their own past claims experience, meaning that in relation to the age of a vehicle and the availability of cover, different insurers will use different age thresholds.

My officials have been engaging with Insurance Ireland in relation to the availability and cost of insurance for older cars, and have been informed that certain insurance providers have recently changed their acceptance criteria and increased their vehicle age threshold levels. Notwithstanding this, Minister D’Arcy intends to write to Insurance Ireland in order to try and get a more detailed perspective on this matter.

Finally, if a consumer is unable to secure a quotation on the open market, he or she may be in a position to avail of the Declined Cases Agreement (DCA) process. Under the terms of the DCA, the insurance market will not refuse to provide insurance to an individual seeking insurance if the person has approached at least three insurers and has not been able to obtain cover from them. In this regard, there are further details available on the Insurance Ireland website while Insurance Ireland also operates a free Insurance Information Service for those who have queries, complaints or difficulties in relation to obtaining insurance. The relevant contact details are: [e-mail] or [e-mail] or 01-6761914.

Motor Insurance

Questions (95)

Noel Grealish

Question:

95. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Finance his plans to introduce increased competition in the car insurance market (details supplied), in particular the possibility of offering a State-backed insurance option to drivers, which is successfully offered in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and elsewhere; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31654/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

As Minister for Finance, I am responsible for the development of the legal framework governing financial regulation. Neither I nor the Central Bank of Ireland can interfere in the provision or pricing of insurance products, as these matters are of a commercial nature, and are determined by insurance companies based on an assessment of the risks they are willing to accept. This position is reinforced by the EU framework for insurance which expressly prohibits Member States from adopting rules which require insurance companies to obtain prior approval of the pricing or terms and conditions of insurance products. Consequently, I am not in a position to direct insurance companies as to the pricing level or terms or conditions that they should apply in respect of particular categories of drivers or vehicles.

With regard to the systems in use in the countries identified by the Deputy, I would refer him to the Cost of Insurance Working Group’s 2017 Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance and in particular Chapter 7.5 and Appendix 7 of that Report which deal with international comparisons.

The Report notes the use in some countries – including New Zealand and parts of Australia and Canada – of what is known as a ‘no fault’ system, where the State pays compensation and/or the cost of rehabilitation and the public pay for this system through taxes. The Report states that some of these models are quite complex and should to be considered in a wider context. As well as impacting on insurance premiums, they may impact on taxation and social security and must be considered in terms of existing constitutional, national and European requirements, e.g. the requirements of EU Motor Insurance Directives in terms of an individual’s right to monetary compensation.

Given the time constraints, the Working Group recommended that a Personal Injuries Commission (PIC) be established with a view to proposing further measures that can help reduce the cost of claims. Amongst other issues, the PIC was charged with analysing and reporting on alternative compensation and resolution models internationally, focusing on common law systems while taking account of social welfare, healthcare and related factors associated with each jurisdictions. The PIC, under the chairmanship of former member of the judiciary Nicholas Kearns is expected to produce its final report shortly.

Notwithstanding the above with regard to particular systems that operate in other jurisdictions, I would be cautious about the introduction of a State backed insurance scheme in this jurisdiction, as such an approach could actually decrease competition in the Irish insurance market, as some insurers may stop insuring particular risks if there is a view that the State is insuring these risks instead, particularly those lines of business that are considered to be unprofitable. This could mean there would be a lack of choice for those seeking cover which could ultimately mean that the cost of insurance could become even more expensive than it is now. Also, on this particular point, there is no reason to believe that the State would be any better at managing this risk than private insurance companies, and as a result there potentially would be a large financial exposure to the State if significant losses were incurred. Any State insurance scheme would be required to comply with the same prudential rules as private companies, thereby meaning that the cost of that insurance would still have to reflect the risk involved. In view of these issues, I am not convinced that a State-backed insurance scheme, whether it be to insure older cars or other risks, would be a panacea with regard to the cost or availability of insurance.

Finally, Department officials have been engaging with Insurance Ireland in relation to the availability and cost of insurance for older cars, and have been informed that certain insurance providers have recently changed their acceptance criteria and increased their vehicle age threshold levels. Notwithstanding this, I understand that the Minister of State Michael D’Arcy TD intends to write to Insurance Ireland in order to try and get a more detailed perspective on this matter.

Motor Industry

Questions (96)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

96. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Finance the number of motor homes that were sold in each of the years 2007 to 2017 and to date in 2018; the number of these that were new; the revenue that has been generated through VAT and VRT respectively in each of these years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31660/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

I am informed by Revenue that the number of motor homes that were sold in each of the years from 2007 to the end of June 2018 along with the VRT and an estimate of the VAT collected on these sales is provided in the following table.

Year	New	Used	VRT € million	VAT € million
2007	372	1,167	0.7	5.2
2008	405	993	0.6	5.5
2009	190	823	0.4	2.8
2010	231	605	0.2	3.1
2011	35	261	0.6	0.3
2012	34	247	0.9	0.4
2013	34	193	0.7	0.3
2014	45	237	0.9	0.5
2015	55	199	1.0	0.6
2016	95	273	1.6	1.0
2017	127	468	2.8	1.2
2018	122	227	1.9	1.4

Questions Nos. 97 and 98 answered with Question No. 94.

Property Tax Review

Questions (99)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

99. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Finance when the review of local property tax will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31681/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

In January of this year, I announced a review of the Local Property Tax (LPT) which is looking in particular at the impact on LPT liabilities of property price developments. In that regard the review underway will be informed by the desirability of achieving relative stability, both over the short and longer terms, in LPT payments of those liable for the tax and provide clear direction on the likely payments faced by households in 2020.

The purpose of the review is to inform me in relation to any actions I may recommend to Government concerning the overall yield from LPT and its contribution to total tax revenue. I look forward to seeing the outcome of the review around the end of August of this year.

Departmental Staff Data

Questions (100)

Fiona O'Loughlin

Question:

100. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Finance the ratio of men and women at each Civil Service grade within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31693/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

I wish to inform the Deputy that the ratio of men and women at each civil service grade within the Department of Finance at end June 2018 is shown in the following table:

DFIN	Female	Male	Total
Secretary General	0	1	1
Assistant Secretary	0	6	6
Principal Officer	8	20	28
Assistant Principal	31	41	72
Administrative Officer	32	55	87
Higher Executive Officer	11	13	24
Executive Officer	15	16	31
Clerical Officer	42	18	60
Service Officer	2	17	19
Grand Total	141	187	328

NAMA Operations

Questions (101)

Sean Fleming

Question:

101. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Finance the persons or organisations that are the 51% owners of the NAMA group; the shareholding of each of these persons and organisations; the amount of dividend paid to each in each year to date since NAMA was established; the expected dividend that will be paid to them between now and the expected conclusion of NAMA activities; the amount of funding each of these invested in the NAMA group; if they will receive an additional 10% of their contributed capital sum at the dissolution; the amount provided by the private sector in the capital contribution to the establishment of the NAMA group which assisted in the NAMA liabilities not being on the State balance sheet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31733/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

A ruling issued in July 2009 by Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU, outlined a number of conditions relating to Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) which were majority owned by private companies, in order for them to be considered outside the government sector. These conditions included that the SPVs were to be established for the sole purpose of addressing the financial crisis and were to be temporary entities.

In order to comply with these conditions, NAMA established an investment holding company, now known as National Asset Management Agency Investment D.A.C., which is majority owned by private investors. A total of 51% of its shares are collectively owned by private companies and the remaining 49% are owned by NAMA. However, under the shareholders’ agreement between NAMA and the private investors, NAMA exercises a veto over decisions taken by the company. This structure was presented to Eurostat which gave its approval in October 2009.

The total issued share capital of National Asset Management Agency Investment D.A.C. is €100m of which €51m (51m B Ordinary shares of €0.10 each and Share Premium of €45.9m) was invested by the Private Investors, each receiving an equal share of the 51 million B ordinary shares. The breakdown of share capital invested by the original Private Investors in 2010 was as follows:

Shareholder	Share Capital Invested €
Irish Life Assurance PLC	17,000,000
New Ireland Assurance Company PLC	17,000,000
Percy Nominees Limited	17,000,000

As a result of subsequent transactions by the original shareholders, the current private shareholding is as follows:

Shareholder	Share Count	Share Count %
New Ireland Assurance Company PLC	17,000,000	17%
BNY Custodial Nominees (Ireland) Ltd	12,000,000	12%
The Representative Church Body	9,750,000	9.75%
The Church of Ireland Clergy Pensions Fund	7,250,000	7.25%
Nortrust Nominees Ltd	5,000,000	5%
Total	51,000,000	51%

Under the shareholders’ agreement, the maximum return which will be paid to the private investors by way of dividend is restricted to the 10 year Irish Government Bond Yield applying at the date of the declaration of the dividend. The following table sets out the dividend per share paid to Private Investors in each year to date since NAMA was established. The cumulative dividend paid to Private Investors to date is €14m.

Year Dividend Declared & Paid	Dividend per Share	Dividend Paid €’000
2011	0.09987	5,093
2012	0.06778	3,457
2013	0.0424	2,162
2014	0.0302	1,540
2015	0.00757	386
2016	0.00719	367
2017	0.01072	547
2018	0.00891	454
	Total Dividends paid to private investors to June 2018	14,006

I wish to advise the Deputy that as a company’s dividend is based on the company’s performance in any given year, it is not possible to predict a future expected dividend. However, as outlined above, any dividend is restricted to the 10 year Irish Government Bond Yield applying at the date of the declaration of the dividend. Under the approval granted by the EU Commission, if the company meets its performance objectives and the 51% B shareholders are repaid, there is a provision for the private investors to be paid an additional amount of up to 10% of their capital capped at €5m. Any residual profit will be distributed back to the Minister for Finance, which NAMA currently estimates, subject to favourable market conditions prevailing, could be €3.5 billion.

Public Relations Contracts Data

Questions (102)

Michael McGrath

Question:

102. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the amount paid by the National Treasury Management Agency and the National Asset Management Agency for public relations in 2017; the amount paid to each firm; the rates that apply; when the main public relations contracts for the two agencies are up for renewal; and the firms that operate the contracts concerned. [31742/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

I wish to advise the Deputy that the communications teams of both NAMA and the NTMA are supported by an external service provider, Gordon MRM. I am advised that an initial contract covering both bodies commenced in January 2013 and ran for an initial period of three years. An option to extend the contract for a further two years was utilised which meant that the contract expired in January 2018.

In Q3 2017, the NAMA Board took the decision to tender for a press and communications services provider to NAMA under a separate contract from the NTMA. Following a competitive public procurement process, Gordon MRM successfully tendered for this contract which commenced in January 2018.

The NTMA awarded its current contract to Gordon MRM on 3 May 2018. The duration of the contract is 3 years and may be extended by the NTMA for a further period or periods in aggregate of up to two years.

The table below details the amounts paid by both the NTMA and NAMA for public relations in 2017.

	Public Relations
Year	Body	Details of Events, Campaigns or Policies	Company or Individual	Amount
2017	NTMA including SBCI	Provision of 24 hour out of hours contacts for media	Gordon MRM	€88,560
2017	NTMA	Provision of Services Relating to AIB IPO*	Gordon MRM	€312,602
2017	NAMA	Provision of 24 hour out of hours contacts for media	Gordon MRM	€89,045

Please note all figures are inclusive of VAT

*At the direction of the Minister for Finance, the NTMA incurs the cost of professional advisers on matters relating to the work of the Banking Unit. The Banking Unit is seconded to the Department of Finance and is assigned to its Shareholding and Financial Advisory Division. These costs have been fully recovered from AIB. €91,202 of the €312,602 was for the provision of advertising in print media.

NAMA Expenditure

Questions (103)

Michael McGrath

Question:

103. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the firms and persons who received over €20,000 in respect of work for the National Asset Management Agency in 2017 in tabular form. [31743/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

I wish to advise the Deputy that Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2014 requires bodies such as NAMA to publish information in an open and accessible manner on a routine basis outside of the Freedom of Information process, having regard to the principles of openness, transparency and accountability as set out in Sections 8(5) and 11(3) of the FOI Act.

In accordance with this requirement, NAMA publishes information relating to payments or purchase orders for goods and services, valued at over €20,000, on a quarterly basis. This information can be found on the NAMA website at the following link.

The table below details the individual providers to have received payments in excess of €20,000 in 2017.

Suppliers invoices >€20,000	Total €000
NTMA	41,550
Capita Asset Services (Ireland) Limited	8,263
AIB Group (Primary Servicer)	2,877
Eastdil Secured (London)	2,229
McCann Fitzgerald	1,880
Fenergo	1,278
KPMG	1,145
Aon Risk Solutions	1,067
Dillon Eustace	1,033
Arthur Cox Solicitors	1,021
PriceWaterhouse Coopers	784
Servulo & Associados	767
Beauchamps Solicitors	632
A&L Goodbody Solicitors	611
Knight Frank	609
Curran Antonelli, LLP	556
Knight Frank (Dub) Jayfield Investments	522
Office of the Comptoller and Auditor General	500
Mazars	480
DOWNES SOLICITORS	467
Hogan Lovells International LLP	406
Office of Revenue Commissioners - Dublin	398
Bank of Ireland	362
ASSET SERVICES	336
Eversheds Sutherland	317
Hayes Solicitors	315
Eugene F Collins	283
Ronan Daly Jermyn Solicitors	208
CubeMatch (Ireland) Ltd	145
Forgo Damjanovic & Partners HUF	144
DLA Piper UK LLP	134
Dillon Eustace GBP Client A/c	128
Lisney Ltd	111
Miro Consulting	108
Bearing Point	105
McDowell Purcell Solicitors	100
Dublin City Council (Rates Office)	99
Cushman & Wakefield - Cork	92
Knight Frank LLP	90
BDO Simpson Xavier	84
CBRE	84
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank	83
Byrne Wallace	69
S-RM Intelligence & Risk Consulting Ltd	68
Revenue Commissioners	60
Knight Frank - Market Valuation	58
COGENT ASSOCIATES	53
Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants	52
John McKee & Son Solicitors	50
Department of Housing, Planning,Community and Loca	50
Bastow Charleton Advisory Ltd	49
Irish Bank Resolution Corporation	49
Matheson	49
William Fry Solicitors	48
Savill (UK) Ltd	45
Whitney Moore Solicitors	45
Fabrik Creative Media	39
Investment Property Databank Ltd	36
Soltysinski Kawecki and Szlezak	35
Environmental Systems Research Institute	31
Savills Commercial (Ireland) Ltd	30
Cort & Cort	30
Altana	29
Baker & McKenzie CVBA/SCRL	28
Walkers Ireland	27
TWM Select Asset Management Limited	27
CRM Commercial Refurbishment & Management	26
Eversheds Sutherland (Int) LLP	26
Kilmount Consultants Limited T/A KMS Commercial	25
Jones Lang LaSalle Ltd - Dublin	23
Bibby Financial Services Ireland Limited	23
Taylor Wessing LLP	23
Gartlan Furey Solicitors	22
Sousa Guedes, Oliveira & Assoc.	22
KPMG (Cork)	22
IBRC LLD (Irish Bank Resolution Corporation LLD	22
Mason Hayes & Curran	22
CBRE Los Angeles	22
Tughans Solicitors	21
Ronan Daly Jermyn Solicitors - Galway	21
CLINTON FLYNN Chartered Accountants	21
Hogan Lovells International LLP (Madrid)	21
Vertice Integration Services Limited	20
Total	73,842

National Treasury Management Agency Data

Questions (104)

Michael McGrath

Question:

104. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the firms and persons who received over €20,000 in respect of work for the National Treasury Management Agency in 2017 in tabular form. [31744/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

I attach a document supplied by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) containing, in tabular form, the firms and persons that received over €20,000 in respect of work for the NTMA in 2017.

The table below sets out payments to suppliers paid in excess of €20,000 (including VAT) in aggregate for the year end 31 December 2017

Name	Gross (€)	VAT (€)	Net (€)
Knight Frank Llp Re Jayfields Invest	2,082,628.52	17,113.34	2,065,515.18
N M Rothschild & Sons Ltd	1,958,470.98	366,218.15	1,592,252.83
Oracle Emea Limited	807,121.23	150,925.11	656,196.12
Commercial & Residential Mgt	719,509.30	85,587.93	633,921.37
Bloomberg	705,334.97	131,891.90	573,443.07
William Fry Solicitors	680,245.10	127,200.30	553,044.80
Pringle Brandon Perkins & Will Ltd	596,543.86	111,548.85	484,995.01
Knight Frank Re Jayfield Investments (Services)	582,659.40	-	582,659.40
National Asset Management Agency	564,333.65	-	564,333.65
KPMG	531,722.21	99,427.73	432,294.48
Micromail Limited	525,144.73	98,173.30	426,971.43
Gordon Mrm	490,207.89	91,664.89	398,543.00
Club Travel Ltd	480,322.07	38,677.16	441,644.91
Vitech Systems Group (Eur)	430,500.00	76,760.16	353,739.84
Lane Clark & Peacock Llp	400,000.98	74,796.93	325,204.05
Aasonn Limited	385,981.92	72,175.48	313,806.44
Noonan Services Group Ltd	368,530.84	67,392.78	301,138.06
Link Personnel Services Ltd	359,674.58	67,256.22	292,418.36
Generali Paneurope	354,483.85	-	354,483.85
Lex Consultancy	329,295.31	61,575.55	267,719.76
Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants	325,642.50	60,892.50	264,750.00
Mc Keon Construction Ltd	310,084.57	36,882.31	273,202.26
Marsh Clearsight Ltd	292,855.88	54,761.67	238,094.21
Aecom Irealnd Limited	277,194.19	51,833.06	225,361.13
Pfh Technology Group	264,674.54	49,491.99	215,182.55
Dell Computer Corporation	244,035.29	45,632.62	198,402.67
Fk International	236,022.98	44,134.38	191,888.60
Arthur Cox	228,933.62	42,808.73	186,124.89
Law Society Of Ireland	211,293.75	140.99	211,152.76
Mercer Limited	204,290.63	38,200.69	166,089.94
Kefron	201,948.26	37,762.68	164,185.58
The Children'S University Hospital	201,689.46	-	201,689.46
H.O.R. Office Futniture	193,846.16	36,247.66	157,598.50
Aon Risk Solutions	186,966.39	6,348.00	180,618.39
Grace Consulting	182,883.19	31,903.53	150,979.66
Pricewaterhousecoopers	181,289.13	33,899.59	147,389.54
Savills Commercial (Ireland) Limited	171,892.50	32,142.50	139,750.00
Electric Ireland	157,356.80	18,716.45	138,640.35
Sonra Intelligence	156,087.00	29,187.00	126,900.00
Irish Life Assurance	152,140.25	-	152,140.25
Dublin Food Sales Ltd	145,907.73	7,807.71	138,100.02
Hudson Global Resources	145,890.29	27,280.30	118,609.99
Comptroller & Auditor General	145,000.00	-	145,000.00
M J Flood Ireland Ltd	138,387.63	25,877.36	112,510.27
Recruit First It	134,863.71	25,218.42	109,645.29
Asite Solutions Ltd	134,861.13	25,217.93	109,643.20
Thomson Reuters (Mkts) Irl Ltd	124,821.01	23,340.51	101,480.50
Open Link International Ltd	123,781.02	21,775.01	102,006.01
Ibm Ireland Limited	120,327.21	22,500.21	97,827.00
Bsi Cybersecurity & Information Resilience	119,093.91	22,131.41	96,962.50
Energia	116,372.57	13,841.67	102,530.90
Casseo Limited	114,340.80	17,944.60	96,396.20
Openlink Financial Llc	102,845.84	19,231.34	83,614.50
Fabrik Creative Media	102,181.80	8,868.80	93,313.00
Bt Ireland	99,634.10	17,529.38	82,104.72
Mason Alexander	95,448.00	17,848.00	77,600.00
Kerna Communications	94,500.90	17,670.90	76,830.00
Irish Times Ltd	88,271.04	10,640.11	77,630.93
Transport Infrastructure Ireland	87,954.14	-	87,954.14
Bighand Ltd	84,744.44	15,846.52	68,897.92
Integrity 360	80,552.70	15,062.70	65,490.00
B-Connected Ltd	79,590.28	14,882.74	64,707.54
Darktrace Limited (Eur)	79,556.40	14,876.40	64,680.00
Zinopy Ltd	78,440.74	14,667.78	63,772.96
Mccann Fitzgerald Solicitors	71,498.72	13,369.68	58,129.04
Perception Consulting Ltd	67,065.75	12,540.75	54,525.00
Mytaxi Ireland	63,074.19	-	63,074.19
Banner Group Limited	61,600.34	11,518.76	50,081.58
Virgin Media	56,841.95	10,628.98	46,212.97
Icsa Software International Ltd	56,812.92	10,623.55	46,189.37
Aurion Limited	56,811.24	10,623.24	46,188.00
Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Ireland) Ltd	56,538.55	6,679.00	49,859.55
Institute Of Directors In Irl	53,750.00	-	53,750.00
Ward Solutions	52,380.78	9,794.78	42,586.00
Morgan Mc Kinley	49,692.00	9,292.00	40,400.00
Bluesource Information Ltd	49,238.26	9,207.15	40,031.11
Deloitte Technology Solutions Ltd	48,853.63	9,135.23	39,718.40
Johanna Fullerton T/A Seven	48,333.65	9,038.00	39,295.65
Softco Ltd	48,116.47	8,997.39	39,119.08
Ecom Solutions Ltd	47,892.51	8,955.51	38,937.00
Eircom	45,944.69	8,591.28	37,353.41
Dnm Technology	45,417.02	8,492.61	36,924.41
Tipperary Water	44,808.67	6,402.51	8,406.16
Caveo Information Systems Ltd	43,677.30	8,167.30	35,510.00
Law Society	42,970.00	-	42,970.00
Macxchange Ltd T/A Compu B	42,939.17	8,029.28	34,909.89
Arkphire Ireland Ltd	42,743.73	7,992.73	34,751.00
Saville Assessment Ltd	42,219.58	3,406.91	38,812.67
Pitney Bowes Ireland Ltd	42,023.33	318.98	41,704.35
Scott Murphy Chartered Building Surveyors	40,225.21	7,521.79	32,703.42
Matheson Ormsby Prentice	39,718.24	7,426.99	32,291.25
Seasons At Guinness Storehouse	39,658.27	2,994.89	36,663.38
Archer Recruitment Group	38,868.00	7,268.00	31,600.00
Career Decisions Ireland	38,345.25	7,170.25	31,175.00
Hays Specialist Recruitment (Ireland) Ltd	38,342.67	7,169.77	31,172.90
First Direct Courier Company	37,895.58	7,086.17	30,809.41
Tricon Foodservice Consultants Ltd	37,519.92	7,015.92	30,504.00
Ntma No 3 Account - Sports @ Social	37,500.00	-	37,500.00
Virtual Creations	36,963.96	6,911.96	30,052.00
HPC	36,769.57	2,543.57	34,226.00
Willis Tower Watson	36,285.00	6,785.00	29,500.00
The Career Compass Ltd	34,440.00	6,440.00	28,000.00
Capita Ib Solutions (Irl) Ltd	33,628.20	6,288.20	27,340.00
Brooks M&E Ltd	32,816.95	3,903.34	28,913.61
Gowan Motor Retail Group Ltd	32,766.82	5,967.43	26,799.39
Sqt Training Ltd	32,625.00	-	32,625.00
S.W.I.F.T. Scrl	32,397.61	6,058.09	26,339.52
Bsi Cybersecurity & Information Resilience Irl Ltd	31,055.13	5,395.67	25,659.46
Irish Management Institute	30,633.83	-	30,633.83
Codec-Dss Limited	30,614.71	5,724.70	24,890.01
Mcevoy Electricial Limited	30,600.54	3,667.50	26,933.04
Carraig Linen & Laundry Service Ltd	29,973.79	5,604.86	24,368.93
Cubematch (Ireland) Limited	29,935.13	5,597.63	24,337.50
Bwise B.V (Nasdaq)	29,933.08	5,597.24	24,335.84
Sureskills Ltd	29,827.00	-	29,827.00
Denis Mahony Ltd	29,000.00	5,422.76	23,577.24
The Financial Times Limited	28,825.07	5,390.05	23,435.02
Mergermarket Limited	28,731.61	5,372.58	23,359.03
Bca Research	28,498.59	5,329.00	23,169.59
Linkedin Ireland	28,120.26	5,258.26	22,862.00
Automatic Fire & Integrated Solutions	27,933.36	3,322.47	24,610.89
Behaviour & Attitudes Ltd	26,322.00	4,922.00	21,400.00
Datapac Limited	26,235.29	4,905.79	21,329.50
Microsoft Ireland Operations	26,014.50	4,864.50	21,150.00
Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane	25,490.20	4,449.90	21,040.30
Institute Of Bankers In Irelan	25,091.00	-	25,091.00
Business Objects Software Ltd T/A Sap	23,650.44	4,422.44	19,228.00
Zenark	23,216.25	4,341.25	18,875.00
Antalis Ltd	22,820.57	4,267.26	18,553.31
Crazy Horse Product Works T/A The Product Works	22,601.25	4,226.25	18,375.00
Aertech Satellite Comms Ltd	22,593.87	4,224.87	18,369.00
Institute Of Public Admin.	22,045.00	-	22,045.00
At&T Global Network Services	21,652.92	4,048.92	17,604.00
Core Financial Systems Ltd	21,171.81	3,958.96	17,212.85
Commissioning Services Ltd	21,166.62	2,517.62	18,649.00
Vhi Corporate Solutions	21,124.02	3,950.02	17,174.00
New Age Storage Systems Ltd	20,946.90	3,916.90	17,030.00
Simply Zesty	20,842.35	3,897.35	16,945.00
Dx Network Services Ireland Limited	20,631.82	3,857.98	16,773.84
Viatel Ireland Limited	20,548.76	3,842.45	16,706.31
Paul Haycock Office Supplies	20,356.66	3,791.34	16,565.32

Vehicle Registration

Questions (105)

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

105. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Finance the changes that will be made to the VRT system for cars imported from the United Kingdom post Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31887/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

I am advised by Revenue that Vehicle Registration Tax is a national duty of excise provided for in the Finance Act 1992, Part II, Chapter IV.

All vehicles coming into the State, whether from other Member States of the EU or from outside the EU, must be declared for registration to Revenue. The documentary/data requirement and the level of processing by Revenue for both streams is very similar. In both cases, the VRT system processes the necessary type approval data, verifies the category of vehicle declared and, finally, collects the tax, if appropriate, and issues a registration number.

I am informed by Revenue that there will be some routine IT modifications required following Brexit for VRT purposes. It is not anticipated that significant change will be required to the current VRT system of dealing with cars imported from the United Kingdom.

Fuel Laundering

Questions (106)

Gerry Adams

Question:

106. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Finance if toxicology on diesel sludge found recently in County Louth has found that the marker introduced in April 2015 has been broken. [31922/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

In April 2015, Revenue and HMRC UK introduced, in both jurisdictions, a new mineral oil marker (Accutrace S10™) for all marked mineral oil products, in addition to the existing markers.

I am advised by Revenue that there is no evidence, based on the analysis of the diesel sludge found recently in County Louth, that the marker has been compromised. While available evidence indicates that Accutrace S10™ cannot be laundered by conventional methods, Revenue continues to keep the situation under review and remains vigilant and continues to give high priority to this issue.

Capital Expenditure Programme

Questions (107)

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

107. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Finance the funding provided towards capital projects in counties Meath and Louth in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018, by project name, location and cost in tabular form. [31990/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

My Department does not make investments from its Vote other than the routine acquisition of IT equipment and systems and certain premises expenses relating to the buildings it occupies.

Therefore, there were no investments by my Department during the period in question in counties Louth and Meath.

Local Authority Funding

Questions (108)

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

108. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Finance the applications submitted for funding and projects from Meath and Louth County Councils in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018 for projects decided upon or in progress in tabular form. [32006/18]

Written answers

Minister for Finance

My Department does not make investments from its Vote other than the routine acquisition of IT equipment and systems and certain premises expenses relating to the buildings it occupies.

Therefore, there were no applications submitted to my Department for funding and projects from Meath and Louth County Councils in the period in question.