Written Answers Nos. 81-90
81. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost in 2016 of increasing the weekly rate of all working age benefits by €5, and by €10; and the full-year cost of each rate of increase. [32696/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra82. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost in 2016 of an increase in the weekly rate of the State pension by €5; by €10; and the full-year cost of each rate of increase. [32697/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 82 together.
The estimated cost in 2016 (and a full year) of a €5 and €10 increase in the weekly rate of all working age payments is €201.7 million and €403.4 million, respectively.
The estimated cost in 2016 (and a full year) of a €5 and €10 increase in the weekly rate of all pension age payments is €154.6 million and €309.2 million, respectively.
These costs also include proportionate increases for qualified adults, where applicable.
83. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost in 2016 of allowing lone parents to receive the one-parent family payment; in the case of lone parents with children aged eight and under; nine years and under; ten years and under; 11 years and under; 12 years and under; 13 years and under; 14 years and under; and the estimated full-year cost of each change. [32698/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraGiven the complex and detailed nature of the Deputy’s request it is not possible for the Department in the timeframe available to calculate the estimated full year cost of increasing the maximum child age of the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme from its current threshold of seven years to, respectively, eight years, nine years, ten years, eleven years, thirteen years, and fourteen years.
The Department has however, recently calculated that the full-year cost, in 2016, of increasing the OFP scheme maximum child age threshold from seven years to twelve years would be approximately €23.5 million. It should be noted that this figure includes a reduction in expenditure on the back to work family dividend scheme. This arises as lone parents currently in receipt of the dividend would no longer be entitled to that payment were they to requalify for the OFP scheme.
84. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans to review the criteria for qualifying for community employment schemes or JobBridge schemes in order to allow persons who receive a widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pension to participate in these schemes to improve their employment prospects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32707/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraPersons aged 25 years or over and who are currently in receipt of either:
- Widows/Widowers/Surviving Civil Partners Contributory Pension; or
- Widows/Widowers/Surviving Civil Partners Non-Contributory Pension
for 12 continuous months or more, are eligible for Community Employment (CE) and have been since 1999. Details of eligibility criteria for CE are listed on the Department’s public website (www.welfare.ie).
Persons in receipt of either of the above payments are also eligible for JobBridge provided they are currently in receipt of the payment for at least 3 months. Again this information is published on the Department’s JobBridge website (www.jobbridge.ie).
85. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Finance his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding local property tax (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32568/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by Revenue that properties located in 'unfinished' housing estates must be included on 'prescribed lists' that are approved by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in order to qualify for any exemption or waiver from Local Property Tax (LPT) or Household Charge (HHC).
The 'prescribed lists' can be viewed at www.environ.ie, and any alterations to their content are a matter for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government rather than for Revenue. It does not follow that properties that were exempt from the HHC are automatically included in the 'prescribed list' for LPT, as the qualifying criteria for both exemptions are different.
When claiming an exemption from LPT under the 'unfinished estate' category it is very important that property owners ensure their property is included on the 'prescribed list'. It can happen that specific areas or specific individual properties within an unfinished estate are excluded from the 'prescribed list', while others within the estate are included. In such circumstances the onus is on the property owner to check the correct status of the property with the relevant Local Authority. Revenue has no role to play in this regard and is obliged to disallow any exemption where the property in question is not included in the 'prescribed list'.
In regard to the specific cases, Revenue has previously confirmed to both the property owners and to the Deputy that while the estate in question is included in the 'prescribed list' the actual properties in question are not. This prevents Revenue from allowing an exemption from LPT regardless of whether the property owners were previously allowed a waiver/exemption from HHC.
Given the circumstances of the cases, Revenue has again made direct contact with the property owners and explained the required qualifying criteria for exemption from LPT under the 'unfinished estate' category. Revenue also outlined the various payment options that are available to assist them in meeting their liabilities in a manner that best suits their individual circumstances and also discussed the valuation implications for properties in an estate that is partially 'unfinished'. The Revenue officer also explained both the deferral and partial deferral options that are available for LPT, which may be of assistance to the persons.
86. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Finance his views on whether Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Banks are lending the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland funding to small and medium enterprises at the expected lower interest rate; if a mechanism has been established to monitor such lending; if any action can be taken if either bank are not offering the expected lower interest rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32505/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) commenced lending in March 2015 through both Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank (AIB). To the end of June 2015 in excess of €44.6 million euro had been lent in lower cost loans to over 1600 SMEs across Ireland.
Both AIB and Bank of Ireland are obliged to report to the SBCI the interest rate applied on each loan they advance using SBCI funds, confirming that the financial advantage of the SBCI's lower interest rate has been passed on in full to the SME. It is important that this advantage is passed on to SMEs and it is a requirement of meeting State Aid de Minimis rules. Therefore. it is a condition of loan agreements between the SBCI and both AIB and Bank of Ireland that and any failure to do so would amount to a breach of the banks' contractual obligations. The SBCI continuously and rigorously monitors the allocation of its funding by both banks.
The SBCI continues to work actively with the AIB and Bank of Ireland to promote and raise awareness of the SBCI's funding and will continue to publish its results on a semi-annual basis.
87. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance the amount of bonus remuneration paid to staff in his Department and to agencies under his aegis in 2015 to date; the number of persons to whom these payments were made and their purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32536/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that no bonus remuneration was paid to staff in my Department.
In relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department the only body that has paid bonuses is the NTMA.
I understand from the NTMA that it made performance-related payments in 2015 to 16 staff in respect of 2014. These payments, in aggregate, totalled €79,200. No performance related payments were made to any employee earning a salary of over €150,000.
88. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Finance his plans for a banking levy in the budget; for powers for the Central Bank of Ireland to regulate interest rates; the progress to date on the issue of variable rate mortgages; the names of banks that met the July 2015 deadline for the proposal of simple options to reduce monthly mortgage rates for existing and new standard variable rate mortgage customers; the names of the banks that did not meet the deadline; and the status of his September 2015 meetings with the banks that are scheduled to take place following his review of the banks' initiatives. [32564/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that it is not the practice of the Minister for Finance to comment in advance on items which may or may not be part of the Budget and Finance Bill.
To summarise the issue to date, I requested a report from the Central Bank on the topic which was published in May. I met with the six main mortgage lenders and outlined my view that the standard variable rate being charged to Irish customers was too high. Subsequent to these meetings, the main banks put initiatives in place to allow borrowers to reduce payments. Such initiatives range from lower variable rates and lower fixed rate products to new suites of variable rates based on loan to values.
I have just this week concluded a further series of meetings with the main banks. The main banks have, in fact, put options in place to allow borrowers to reduce their monthly payments. Borrowers should contact their bank to see what is available to them in their particular circumstances and consider moving to another bank if the offer is not satisfactory.
Competition is the best long term way of reducing interest rates paid by Irish borrowers and ensuring that Irish banks offer a sustainable product range. Higher than warranted mortgage interest rates will encourage new entrants to the Irish market over the longer term.
In the shorter term, customers can foster competition by considering switching mortgage provider. Central Bank research suggests that 21% of existing PDH variable rate mortgage customers could save by switching their provider. I expect that if financial institutions are convinced that there is a threat that they will lose existing customers, they will reduce the rates that they currently charge such customers. The CCPC website www.consumerhelp.ie is a valuable source of information on the rates charged by various financial institutions.
89. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Finance if he will ensure that a reduction in the level of taxation for heavy goods vehicles over 12 tonnes will take place from January 2016, as indicated in last year's budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32588/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing a meeting with a representative group of the hauliers in November last year, I gave a commitment to reduce commercial road tax for heavy goods vehicles over 12 tonnes. However, it is not the practice to comment in advance of the Budget on any initiatives that might be the subject of Budget decisions.
90. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide an update on the number of employees who have left the National Asset Management Agency to date by way of a voluntary redundancy programme; the number of these who were in management roles; if the programme is still open; the typical severance payments that apply for individual staff members; if the programme has been fully subscribed, and, if oversubscribed, by how many persons; if he will provide aggregate details of any payments made to date; if he will confirm the agency's current staff headcount, and the numbers expected to take up redundancy in 2015 and 2016; the total severance amounts that are expected to be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32629/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by NAMA that to date no staff member has left due to redundancy and therefore no payments have been made under the NAMA redundancy programme. As previously advised, the NAMA Board has projected based on its current strategy that the total number of staff assigned to NAMA will reduce from 342 currently to 291 by the end of this year and to 125 by the end of 2016 subject to the achievement of NAMA disposal targets, residential initiatives and Dublin Docklands facilitated developments.
As also previously advised, the terms of the NAMA redundancy scheme, which are in line with established public sector norms, are two weeks statutory pay per year of service, capped at €600 per week, plus three additional weeks of base salary per year of service with an overall cap of two years base salary. As I outlined in responses to previous PQs the overall cost of NAMA's redundancy scheme and appropriate staff retention measures that I have agreed with the NAMA Board will not exceed €20m. The implementation of the redundancy scheme is an operational matter for the Board of NAMA.
