By the way, the Deputy did not say what he would replace the €5 billion with. When what we deem to be, and what I am advised to be, windfall receipts in the current year are stripped out, we have an underlying deficit, yet the Deputy just asked whether we could eliminate a tax that brought in €5 billion without explaining what he would replace it with. He might argue he will do that in his pre-budget submission, which I look forward to seeing. We will honour the commitment we made in the programme for Government. W…

There is an obligation on the Deputy to be consistent. When we introduce budgets where we increase PAYE and personal tax credits for low-income workers, the Deputy votes against them. We have a programme for Government-----

Yes, the Deputy does. He should check the voting record.

The Deputy has never voted in the House for a package of income tax reductions. He then comes in during oral questions-----

-----and proposes to get rid of a tax that brings in €5 billion per year. We have a programme for Government commitment, one agreed by all three parties in government, to index credits and bands in line with Ireland's growth.

That is the Government's commitment-----

-----and is what we have implemented in the past.

The commitment I will give is that we will reduce the burden of income tax-----

-----on workers and others who pay income tax in budget 2024. That will be done. I look forward to seeing the Deputy's pre-budget submission.

I hope that he will support income tax reductions this year.

Although primary responsibility for combating all forms of crime and corruption lies with the Minister for Justice, my Department is eager to contribute to this task insofar as we can. An advisory council on economic crime and corruption was established in May 2022. Its establishment was one of the recommendations made in the review of structures and strategies to prevent, investigate and penalise economic crime and corruption. The review, colloquially known as the Hamilton review, was led by Mr. James Hamilton, th…

The rise in this form of crime is a serious concern but I assure Deputy Doherty and the House that the advisory council is active. It met on 30 May last and it is working towards the development of a multi-annual strategy to combat economic crime and corruption. My officials in the Department of Finance are working closely with our colleagues in the Department of Justice to ensure that the council's work is brought to a conclusion and that the multi-annual plan can be brought forward as quickly as possible. A lot o…

We are actively working on this issue. The advisory council, which came from the Hamilton report, is up and running. It has representatives from all of the key areas that would one expect across the Government and the private sector who are working to develop a comprehensive strategy to deal with what is a very significant issue of public concern. We are all seeing the increase in the activity levels here and the attempts at crime and fraud in this space. That said, the provisional crime statistics for 2022 release…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 84 together. I thank Deputies Canney and McNamara for their questions. The disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme provides relief from vehicle registration tax, VRT, and VAT on the use of an adapted car, as well as an exemption from motor tax and an annual fuel grant. The scheme is open to severely and permanently disabled persons who also meet the medical criteria, as a driver or as a passenger, and also to certain organisations. In order to qualify for relief, the …

This is urgent. The existing scheme dates back several decades. It is outdated. The terminology is outdated. It is not fit for purpose and we urgently need a new scheme. I support the thrust of what the Ombudsman has said in that regard. In my role, I have inherited a tax-based scheme which we will continue to operate until it is replaced by a new, more modern scheme. I have sought to change the existing scheme to meet the needs of a relatively small number of people who, in general, have to import a vehicle from t…

I thank the Deputies. I have been of the view for quite some time, having examined individual cases, that a tax-based scheme based on the existing criteria for the primary medical certificate is not the way forward. I will continue to operate the existing scheme. We have made one significant improvement. We will get the appeals board back up and running and I will lend my full support to getting a new scheme, which will be a grant-based scheme based on the needs of individuals, in place. It will involve defining th…

Research has indicated that there is potential for existing mortgage holders to make mortgage savings by switching their mortgage. This is a particularly important consideration at a time of rising interest rates. In this regard, I have met the CEOs of the retail banks and a number of non-bank lenders and emphasised that they should take a consumer focused approach to encourage switching where possible. On behalf of my Department, the ESRI is carrying out work which will inform the development of tools to promote s…

We need to see more switching activity, including from the non-bank sector to the banking sector. I have been very clear with the retail banks that I expect them to be receptive and welcoming of applications from customers who are currently in the non-bank sector. There will be mortgages that it will simply not be possible to switch. We are all aware of the requirement on banks to maintain a certain level of non-performing exposures, as in they must not rise beyond a certain point. The European Banking Authority, E…

I have already publicly said, and I am happy to repeat that statement, that the banks have an important role to play in facilitating and welcoming switchers from all parts of the financial sector, including from the non-bank sector. There are many inherently good mortgages which may technically be deemed to be a non-performing exposure but which can be cured in that technical sense because the customers are co-operating and paying their mortgages in line with the agreement they have. There may be some mortgages whe…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 and 89 together. I thank Deputy Smith for his question. On 10 May, my Department published a scoping paper titled Future-proofing the Public Finances – the Next Steps, which outlines some of the merits of establishing a long-term public savings vehicle in Ireland. The paper highlights that corporation tax receipts have effectively doubled since just before the pandemic, with the evidence suggesting that much of this is windfall in nature. My Department estimates these windfalls r…