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QUESTION NO:  817 
DÁIL QUESTION addressed to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Shane Ross)
by Deputy Darragh O'Brien
for WRITTEN ANSWER on 21/07/2016  



Dáil Question
No: 817

​To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of the substantial cuts imposed on members of the IASS Pension Scheme in advance of the sale of the State's stake in Aer Lingus; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien.

*    For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 21st July, 2016.

Ref No:   23828/16     Proof:   860 
Answered by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport
Shane Ross
REPLY


As I pointed out in my reply to Question No. 56 on Tuesday last, 19th July, the IASS pension scheme is currently the subject of on-going legal proceedings and I am unable to comment any further on the issue.


Dáil Question
No: 816

​To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way his Department plans to use the moneys the State received from the sale of its stake in Aer Lingus; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien.

*    For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 21st July, 2016.

Ref No:   23827/16     Proof:   859

Answered by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport
Shane Ross
REPLY

​On the 26th of May 2015 it was announced that the previous Government had decided to support IAG's takeover offer for Aer Lingus. The previous Government also decided that the proceeds of any sale would be invested in a new 'Connectivity fund' as a sub-portfolio of the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF). 
The offer closed on 2 September 2015 and the Exchequer received €335 million in September 2015 for its 25.1% shareholding. 
The Minister for Finance subsequently received Oireachtas approval for the proceeds to be paid into this fund in accordance with Section 46(2) of the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act, 2014. This further investment strengthened ISIF's capacity to support economic investment. The connectivity fund is designed to support projects which enhance Ireland's physical, virtual or energy connectivity. 
I understand from the Department of Finance that the fund will operate on a commercial basis and therefore not constitute Government expenditure.  
Any parliamentary questions in relation to the management of the Fund should be addressed to the Minister for Finance. 
​
QUESTION NO:  101
DÁIL QUESTION addressed to the Minister for Finance (Deputy Michael Noonan)
by Deputy Darragh O'Brien
for WRITTEN ANSWER on 21/07/2016  

 
 To ask the Minister for Finance if he will consider in the forthcoming Budget, specific measures targeted at members of the IASS Pension Scheme to reduce the impact of cuts to their pension benefits; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
  
REPLY.


 The question does not specify the particular measures which the Deputy has in mind. In any event, I am sure he will understand that I would not be in a position to introduce any measures which would benefit the members of a particular pension scheme to the exclusion of other pension scheme members or taxpayers in a similar situation, generally, and I have no plans to do so.

Question

To ask the Minister for Health when the gratuity payment due to certain Home Help workers will be made in lieu of pensions payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY.
I understand the Deputy is referring to Home Help workers who are employed by voluntary providers of home help services which are funded under section 39 of the Health Act 2004. I advised the Deputy previously that as these home help workers are not employed by the HSE, the HSE and the Department has no role in determining the salaries or other terms and conditions applying to these staff including any pension arrangements. 

As the Deputy is aware a joint working group has been established, as agreed as part of the Lansdowne Road talks, to consider a number of issues in relation to section 39 organisations.  The work of this group is still ongoing and is expected to conclude in the near future.  

 Question

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to abolish Value Added Tax on 
education books bought on e-readers; and if he will make a statement on the 
matter.

Reply: Minister Richard Bruton

I have consulted my colleague the Minister for Finance on this matter.  The VAT 
rating of goods and services is subject to the requirements of the EU VAT 
Directive with which Irish VAT law must comply. The VAT Directive provides that 
all goods and services are liable to VAT at the standard rate, currently 23% in 
Ireland, unless there is a provision in the VAT Directive that permits a lower 
rate.  The EU VAT Directive does not make provision for a reduction in the VAT 
rate to e-books.
 
Any changes to VAT rates outside of what is currently permitted by the EU VAT 
Directive must be negotiated at EU technical working groups and ultimately 
agreed by the EU Council of Finance Ministers. The EU Commission recently 
published an Action Plan on the future of VAT "Towards a single EU VAT Area - 
Time to decide", which sets out the Commission's pathway for modernising the 
VAT system and contains a proposal in 2016 to remove VAT obstacles to 
cross-border e-commerce including e-publications and in 2017 there is a 
proposal to look at VAT rate policy across the EU.

The Action Plan's proposals may offer Member States more flexibility in the 
future in determining VAT rates applicable to goods and services. This forum 
will provide an opportunity to discuss VAT rates applicable to goods and 
services including e-books as referred to by the Deputy. However, the Deputy 
will be aware that any proposed changes to the current EU VAT Directive would 
require unanimous agreement from all Member States.

The concerns of my Department have also been brought to the attention of the 
Department of Finance.

The new Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 (Enhancing Teaching, Learning & 
Assessment), launched in October 2015, sets out a clear vision for the role of 
ICT in teaching, learning and assessment in primary and post primary schools. 
The Strategy is focused on realising the potential of digital technologies to 
transform the learning experiences of students by helping them become engaged 
thinkers, active learners, knowledge constructors and global citizens who 
participate fully in society and the economy.

Under this Strategy, my Department is committed to considering all options that 
will facilitate the process of embedding ICT in Teaching, Learning and 
Assessment, and the role of e-books will be considered in that context. In 
particular the Strategy seeks to engage with publishers on the provision of 
digital content and services to support the curriculum, and to raise awareness 
regarding the potential under the book grant scheme to purchase a range of 
digital resources.

Questions 

 To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to abolish Value Added Tax on education books bought on e-readers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

 To ask the Minister for Finance the amount of Value Added Taxs collected from the purchase of education books on e-readers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY.
​
The VAT rating of goods and services is subject to the requirements of the EU VAT Directive with which Irish VAT law must comply. The VAT Directive provides that all goods and services are liable to VAT at the standard rate, currently 23% in Ireland, unless there is a provision in the VAT Directive that permits a lower rate.  The EU VAT Directive does not make provision for a reduction in the VAT rate to e-books. 

Any changes to VAT rates outside of what is currently permitted by the EU VAT Directive must be negotiated at EU technical working groups and ultimately agreed by the EU Council of Finance Ministers. The EU Commission recently published an Action Plan on the future of VAT "Towards a single EU VAT Area - Time to decide", which sets out the Commission's pathway for modernising the VAT system and contains a proposal in 2016 to remove VAT obstacles to cross-border e-commerce including e-publications and in 2017 there is a proposal to look at VAT rate policy across the EU.

The Action Plan's proposals may offer Member States more flexibility in the future in determining VAT rates applicable to goods and services. This forum will provide an opportunity to discuss VAT rates applicable to goods and services including e-books as referred to by the Deputy. However, the Deputy will be aware that any proposed changes to the current EU VAT Directive would require unanimous agreement from all Member States.

The information furnished on VAT returns does not require the yield from specific transactions or products to be identified therefore, it is not possible to estimate the VAT yield for the product mentioned by the Deputy.

Question 
 
 *  To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the date of completion for the review instigated by her, in conjunction with the Garda Síochána authorities on the effectiveness of the Community Closed-Circuit Television Scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter.


REPLY.

The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for a Partnership Government commits to providing investment in CCTV systems at key locations along the road network and in urban centres. 
I am very conscious of the value that communities, especially rural communities, place on CCTV as a means of deterring crime and assisting in the detection of offenders.  With this in mind, I instigated a review last year of the effectiveness of the Community CCTV Scheme in conjunction with the Garda authorities.  The Garda evaluation of community CCTV systems highlights the fact that CCTV is an effective deterrent to the commission of crime and that the presence of CCTV cameras helps to reduce fear among members of the public and provides a sense of safety and security. 
While acknowledging its role as part of wider crime prevention strategies, the Garda evaluation also notes that community based CCTV systems have been of significant assistance in both the prevention and detection of criminal activity throughout the country.  
I am currently developing proposals to give effect to the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment to provide investment in CCTV systems and the Garda evaluation is informing the development of those proposals.
The Deputy may also be aware that my colleague, the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, made an announcement in September 2015 in relation the provision of CCTV in rural areas which is to be funded from the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.  

Question:
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 *  To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the action she and her European Union counterparts are taking, to ensure that unaccompanied minors who are universally acknowledged to have a right to re-unification, are receiving due process and do not remain separated for an inhumane length of time; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY.
The Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was established by Government decision on 10 September 2015 as a direct response to the humanitarian crisis that developed in Southern Europe as a consequence of mass migration from areas of conflict in the Middle East and Africa.   In announcing the Programme, the Government recognised the importance of addressing the position of unaccompanied children.  However, as indicated in previous responses to parliamentary questions, the pace of the relocation programme in Ireland and across the European Union has been hampered by significant operational delays and technical issues due to the sheer numbers involved and other logistical difficulties that have arisen at the 'hotspot' locations in Italy and Greece.  

A team of officials from my Department, including the Director of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme, travelled to Greece last month to meet with Irish embassy officials and relevant Greek authorities both to signal Ireland's tangible willingness to assist and to identify ways of addressing the obstacles that have arisen.  The outcome of that visit has been very positive and the Greek authorities have now confirmed that, within the coming months, they will be able to increase significantly the overall numbers available to Ireland.  

I recently chaired a meeting of the high level Task Force established to oversee the implementation of the IRPP during which an approach to taking unaccompanied minors (most likely from Greece) was discussed. This issue is now under further consideration by the relevant agencies and Departments, including Tusla, the Child and Family Agency under the auspices of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, and officials from my own Department. 

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care of unaccompanied minors in the State. As part of its multi-disciplinary assessment of the needs of separated children in its care, the possibility of family reunification is also examined. 

I continue to work proactively with my colleagues in Europe to ensure that Ireland and the European Union responds comprehensively to all aspects of the ongoing migration and refugee crisis. I share the concerns of the Deputy in relation to unaccompanied minors as an especially vulnerable group and I expect this issue to remain high on the agenda at EU level.