Results 2,101-2,120 of 10,573 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy for raising this important question. Housing policy is written for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and his Department. IGEES staff in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform carry out research in a broad range of areas affecting expenditure. While this informs the evidence base provided by officials in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: Whatever about me reading it, I do not know whether the Deputy listened to me. I will read it out again. The IGEES is an integrated, cross-Government service that seeks to enhance the role of analysis and evidence in public policymaking. It is a cross-Government service, which means there is more than one Department involved in it. I also said it informs the Minister's engagements and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Spending Code (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: That is no problem at all. I will get the information the Deputy requires. On the reforms that are necessary to make things happen faster, another element is the planning Bill that is proposed to come before the Dáil. Again, going back to the previous question the Deputy asked, if I sat down with any delivery body or project management team in any part of the Government, whether it is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Flood Risk Management (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 25 and 44 together. I am pleased to provide an update on the progression of the Glashaboy flood relief scheme at Glanmire-Sallybrook in Cork. I am advised that the scheme is being progressed by Cork City Council. The OPW and the council are is engaging proactively to progress the flood relief scheme for Glanmire. The Glashaboy flood relief scheme...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Flood Risk Management (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: Absolutely.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Flood Risk Management (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: On the last point, and going back to Deputy Conway-Walsh's remarks about the public spending code and delivery of capital projects, this is an example of it. We are not the tendering authority here. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan is absolutely right that there is a huge amount of misinformation here. I would love to know exactly what delay the Government has put in place to prevent this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Flood Risk Management (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: I would be delighted to hear it. We are not the contracting authority, in case it escaped the Deputy's knowledge. It is a matter for Cork City Council. In the first instance, Cork City Council's tendering process collapsed because a tenderer had to withdraw. I do not know if the Deputy would advocate for having no tendering process. Maybe he wants a cheque to be written to whoever is the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Home Care Packages (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy is aware, it is not appropriate for a Minister, in the context of existing commercial discussions, tendering processes or anything of that nature, to discuss them on the floor of the Dáil. As I said earlier, the HSE has proposed a further extension of the contract arrangements to Friday, 30 June which is its prerogative as the lead agency on this. As I said at the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Home Care Packages (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: As already stated, as a former Minister of State in the Department of Health, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for the Minister of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery, and Reform or for a Minister of State in his Department, in the middle of contractual discussions relating to the continuation or extension of contracts, the hiring of additional...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Spending Code (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy for her question. The Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery, and Reform, and the Department are responsible for the public spending code which sets the value-for-money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing Exchequer-funded capital projects. In March this year, the Minister informed the Government of a package of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Spending Code (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: To go back to the earlier question posed by the Deputy in relation to my responsibilities, for the Office of Public Works, OPW, which is a capital-led body, the changes to the public spending code that have been announced could not come fast enough. I am sure that if I asked the school buildings unit in the Department of Education or other bodies, they would agree, purely on the basis of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Budget Process (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: In the context of the provision of the budgetary climate and infrastructure for 2024, the Deputy will be aware that the summer economic statement will shortly be addressed by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and McGrath, and that will take place in July, most likely. Over the coming months, in advance of that, the Minister will further consider other budgetary positions, in collaboration with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Budget Process (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is important to point out also that the total amount of Government expenditure for the year is in excess of €91 billion, a not insignificant significant amount of money. Notwithstanding the difficulties that are there, I think everybody accepts from history, particularly in this country, that when governments try to chase inflation, it winds up in an inflationary spiral and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Home Care Packages (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, for raising this very important issue. The Government is committed to promoting care in the community for older people so they can continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible. Home support is an increasingly important part of the supports the Government offers to older people and will continue to increase in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: On top of the metrics I have already outlined, their rationale and the fact there is a per capitadouble payment in the region versus the other two regions, the region also received significant funding from other Departments, including that specifically set up to deal with this issue, which is the Department of Rural and Community Development. Some examples of recent allocations in the region...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Flood Risk Management (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: This is in my area of responsibility and I am glad to be able to answer it. The Office of Public Works, OPW, as the lead agency for flood risk management, is co-ordinating the delivery of measures towards meeting the Government’s national flood risk policy across three areas of flood risk management, which takes the potential impacts of climate change into account under the headings...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Flood Risk Management (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh. I have been in Crossmolina on a couple of occasions. I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for the support associated with this. She is conscious of the fact that Mayo County Council is the applicant to the planning authority and, under the Arterial Drainage Act, the Minister is the consenting authority. We cannot predetermine the outcome of a planning process which...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Flood Risk Management (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: I do not disagree with Deputy Conway-Walsh. If we had a magic bullet to circumvent the regulations we must go through, we certainly would be using it. Many towns, villages and cities such as Galway are under constant threat. When people are living under a psychological threat such as this, it causes a lot of mental trauma. It is not for the want of energy and enthusiasm from our point of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Budget Process (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: As I said to Deputy Conway-Walsh earlier, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe. is out of the country and I will take all of the questions. A 5% growth rate for core expenditure was set out in the 2021 summer economic statement as part of our medium-term expenditure strategy. This strategy aims to align core voted expenditure growth with the trend growth rate of the economy as measured by GNI*....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (11 May 2023)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh. I apologise for the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, who is overseas. The total resources available at Union level for ERDF were determined as part of the overall negotiations of the multi-annual financial framework for the period from 2021 to 2027. The resources allocated to each member state were based on the amounts calculated for each of the individual regions by...