Written Answers Nos. 1-49
47. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Taoiseach the amount and value of fossil fuel subsidies paid by the State in 2020 and 2021; the proportion of that expenditure that applies to the exemption of jet kerosene used for commercial flights from excise duty; and the proportion resulting from other subsidies. [9450/22]
View answerThe CSO publishes an annual statistical release on Fossil Fuel Subsidies. The 2019 release was published in March 2021 and the 2020 release will be published in April 2022.
In 2019, fossil fuel subsidies were estimated by the CSO at €2.4 billion. The exemption from Excise Duty and Carbon Tax of jet kerosene used for international and domestic commercial flights was estimated as €634.2 million in 2019. This was 27% of total fossil fuel subsidies with the remaining 73% comprising subsidies relating mainly to consumption of fossil fuels for other purposes.
While the CSO has not yet published the 2020 release, a very significant decrease in sales of jet kerosene for commercial flights in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic will result in a corresponding decrease in the jet kerosene exemption subsidy in 2020.
48. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Taoiseach the estimated cost of producing a labour force survey for County Clare; and the estimated household sample size required. [10297/22]
View answerThe Labour Force Survey (LFS) is the official source of employment estimates in the State. The most recent figures available are for Q4 2021.
The Labour Force Survey is one of a group of household surveys collected by the CSO’s field force of 100 nationwide interviewers, who contact about 2,000 households per week at an annual cost of approximately €5 million. These interviewers also collect data for the annual Survey of Income and Living Conditions, the General Household Survey and regular surveys on health, transport and a variety of other topics.
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) has been collected quarterly, under EU Regulation, since 1998 and provides a break-free series for employment, unemployment and labour market participation going back to Q1 2012 at NUTS3 regional level. The survey has been designed to provide accurate estimates for the NUTS3 regions. It is not possible to produce robust county level estimates from the survey.
The design of statistical surveys like the LFS does not involve economies of scale and the cost of a survey designed to provide county-level estimates would be a multiple of the present annual survey cost of €5 million. Achieving representative samples at county level on which to base labour market estimates would require an increase in the number of households interviewed and the number of field interviewers required to interview them.
The five-yearly Census of Population provides detailed geographical breakdowns of the population and some labour market characteristics at small area level, including counties. The CSO is also developing estimates based on administrative data, including the Revenue PAYE Modernisation (PMOD) system, to provide more detailed future estimates without increasing survey costs or burden on respondents.
49. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Taoiseach the costs incurred from 2014 to date on the operation of each citizens’ assembly. [9091/22]
View answerThe expenditure incurred by my Department on Citizens' Assemblies from 2014 to the end of 2021 is set out in the table below.
|
Year |
Expenditure |
|
2014 |
€327,000 |
|
2015 |
Nil |
|
2016 |
€274,000 |
|
2017 |
€1,535,000 |
|
2018 |
€534,000 |
|
2019 |
€201,000 |
|
2020 |
€732,000 |
|
2021 |
€594,000 |
During this period two Citizens' Assemblies and one Convention on the Constitution took place. Matters considered by the 2013-2014 Convention on the Constitution were:
- Reducing the voting age and Presidential term
- The role of women in Politics
- Same sex marriage
- Electoral reform
- Blasphemy
- Granting citizens resident outside the State the right to vote in Presidential elections; Dáil Reform; Economic,Social and Cultural rights.
The 2016-2018 Citizens' Assembly considered the following matters:
- The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution
- How we best respond to the challenges and opportunities of an aging population
- Fixed term parliaments
- The manner in which referenda are held
- How the state can make Ireland a leader in tackling climate change
The 2020-2021 Citizens' Assembly considered Gender Equality. Expenditure incurred in 2019 was in preparation for this Assembly.
