Finance Bill to come before the Dáil tomorrow
The Finance Bill is due to come before the Dáil tomorrow paving the way for new measures contained in Budget 2020. The bill will allow the Government to introduce reliefs for SMEs, more tax credits for carers, further tax equalisation for the self-employed, and increases to inheritance tax thresholds.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe brought the bill containing 75 sections to Cabinet yesterday.
Ministers also discussed the European budget which will be under consideration by EU leaders when they meet in Brussels later this week. Ireland is the third highest contributor to the EU budget per capita and the Taoiseach stressed the importance of retaining payments to Irish farmers under the (CAP).
Separately, Culture Minister Josepha Madigan told her ministerial colleagues that she has asked Dublin City Council to set up an expert group to look at ways of creating a more vibrant street market in the Moore St area.
The development of the historical street, which was a key location in the 1916 Rising, has been dogged by delays and controversy.
Ms Madigan brought recommendations of the Moore Street advisory group to Cabinet, which found the area has great potential to develop as a heritage and cultural hub.
A Government spokesman said there have been many views as to what should be done on the Moore St site, adding it was a “contentious issue” and so progress had not been made as rapidly as could have been possible.
Education Minister Joe McHugh brought the 2018 Caranua annual report to Cabinet which reveals the Christian Brothers have yet to pay €5m owed to the body.
Religious congregations agreed to hand over €110m to Caranua, which was set up in 2013, to help survivors of institutional abuse. So far €105.43m of this has been received. The Christian Brothers, who still owe €5m, have promised to pay this by the end of the year.
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy provided details from the Housing Agency’s annual report which assess 266 funding applications to provide over 5,000 social housing homes in 2018. Work was completed in 434 homes under the Pyrite Remediation Scheme.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has appointed Paul Behan as the inaugural chief legal costs adjudicator and Niall O’Hanlon as legal costs adjudicator. The newly-established Office of the Legal Costs Adjudicator will create a modern system for the adjudication of legal costs, which will be in more transparent and user friendly.
