Shay Brennan

95. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Health for an update on the plan to increase capacity by between 4,000 and 4,500 new and refurbished inpatient hospital beds across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48058/26]

8. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the operation of MyFutureFund - the automatic enrolment retirement savings system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46027/26]

3. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the most recent EU leaders’ meeting or Council. [12979/26]

Ireland takes the chair of the 2028-2034 MFF negotiations in July. This is a pivotal period in these complex and highly consequential negotiations. Delivering a finalised agreement within our term would be of significant reputational benefit for Ireland. Will the Taoiseach give an assessment of the prospects for achieving that and outline what he sees as the key pitfalls and opportunities for Irel…

143. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to outline any assessment his Department has undertaken of the need to update company law to facilitate the greater use of distributed ledger technology for the tokenisation of funds set up as Irish companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45470/26]

Ireland's funds industry manages trillions in assets and supports over 20,000 jobs. It is one of our most significant internationally traded sectors. Globally this sector is now moving rapidly towards tokenisation and the use of distributed ledger technology. Will the Minister advise what assessment the Department has undertaken of whether our company law framework, including the Companies Act 201…

I thank the Minister. He will appreciate there is an urgency about this issue. The core requirement from the funds industry is quite narrow. It is recognition that distributed ledger technology is a valid medium for share issuance for transfer, registration and record keeping. No radical change is being sought, just some targeted non-technology-focused amendments to key relevant Acts. Major intern…

The Minister will appreciate that the risk here is a straightforward competitiveness one. If competing jurisdictions provide clearer legal certainty first, the product development and the jobs that go with it will go elsewhere. The question is not whether tokenisation or distributed ledger technology will become a core component of the funds industry, but whether Ireland will be ready in time to m…

I have been a member of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade through the scrutiny of this Bill. I think it is the right thing to do, not because it will in itself change the situation on the ground but because Ireland has obligations under international law and we should meet those obligations. Ireland was among the first countries in the world to call for Palestinian statehood. When I…

I welcome this Bill and am glad to have the opportunity to speak on it today. The dissolution of the National Asset Management Agency is not just an administrative tidying up exercise. I would very much argue that it is a significant milestone in Ireland's post-crisis economic journey. It is a moment that deserves to be acknowledged and understood and not just processed quietly through this House.…

It has the governance structures, the financial expertise and the institutional capacity to manage what remains in a cost-effective and accountable way. Keeping a separate statutory agency alive with its own board, overheads and administrative infrastructure when the substantive work is done would be a waste of public resources. The model of a time-limited, purpose-specific vehicle has been vindic…

22. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [9935/26]

There have been some significant developments in recent days around the conflict in Ukraine, including a temporary ceasefire and comments from the Russian President about a willingness to enter into dialogue. We have also recently seen an EU member state hold an election, the outcome of which might signify an easing of its stance towards the bloc's enlargement. Will the Taoiseach provide an update…

6. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. [16733/26]

132. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his assessment of the likely impact of current aviation challenges on the number of overseas visitors to Ireland in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30451/26]

235. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his response to concerns regarding changes to rules governing hearings at the Tax Appeals Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27129/26]

My question concerns the proposed changes to hearings of the Tax Appeals Commission, particularly the removal of the taxpayers' automatic right to a private hearing. It will instead become a matter of discretion for the commissioner. Is the Tánaiste concerned that this change will deter taxpayers from exercising their right to appeal a Revenue assessment?

The Tánaiste will appreciate that the right to challenge a Revenue assessment is a fundamental protection for every taxpayer, but this right has little value if exercising it carries an unacceptable personal or commercial cost. If public exposure alone is enough to deter a taxpayer from pursuing a legitimate appeal, we risk undermining the entire system. It is worth noting that 20% of determinati…

The Tánaiste might appreciate that there is potentially a significant and expensive unintended consequence of this. As he is fully aware, Ireland’s attractiveness as a location for multinational investment depends significantly on our tax policy, particularly the certainty and fairness we apply to taxation matters. The Tánaiste may be aware that a risk review of 20 EU member states showed that all…

My question is very similar. It relates to the so-called "deemed disposal" tax on ETFs, which requires Irish investors to pay gains every eight years, even where no sale takes place. The programme for Government has committed to an implementation plan to address this anomaly. Like Deputy Boland, I wonder if we could get an update on the details of this and the current timeline.

I too thank the Tánaiste for his clear answer. The core issue here is one of fairness within our own tax system. An investor in individual shares pays capital gains tax at 33% and then only when they eventually sell those shares. However, an investor who chooses a diversified ETF, which is arguably the more prudent investment choice for an ordinary saver, pays a higher rate on the gains they have …

There is another dimension to this. Ireland's position as a major ETF hub in Europe is something we should rightly be very proud of, but there is a contradiction at the heart of that success. Ireland is one of the best places in the world in which to manage and distribute ETFs but one of the most difficult places in Europe for an Irish resident to actually invest in them. Foreign investors in Iris…

240. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the latest update on his Department’s preparations for Ireland’s EU Presidency; the way in which he plans to oversee budgetary discussions on the next multi-annual financial framework post-2027 in a manner that will safeguard Ireland’s fiscal interests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26559/26]

I am seeking an update on the Department's preparations for Ireland's EU Council Presidency and, in particular, how the Minister intends to approach the negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework, which Ireland will chair. Can the Minister advise how he intends to safeguard Ireland's fiscal interest in these negotiations?

During our Presidency, Ireland will chair and oversee the MFF negotiations, and will do this while simultaneously facing a reduction in our own allocations under the new framework due to our continued economic growth. I am not saying that is a bad thing. In one sense, we are in an advantageous position as we get to set the agenda and we are present at every negotiation. However, given the expectat…