Results 201-220 of 9,549 for speaker:Jack Chambers

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: We said we are sticking to key principles regarding water, energy and transport, in particular. Is the Deputy referring to certain elements of transport infrastructure that are not there? There is a broader review with all Departments. I do not know if the Deputy is referring to education or other community infrastructure.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The outworking of the national development plan has to stick to the key principles. We know about the deficit of water and wastewater infrastructure, transport and energy in particular. There is a broader engagement across Government on other requests relating to capital investment, some of which relates to community infrastructure. We have significantly increased our overall capital...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Tax policy is a matter for the Minister for Finance. I am focused on infrastructure investment in the context of the national development plan, which I am seeking to advance in July. What we will do in the national development plan will make a real difference to housing supply and the growth of enabling infrastructure, which we need to see advanced.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I think there is cognisance in broader society and the economy that we are at a point of significant uncertainty, which has to frame the cautious nature of how we approach budget 2026 and also the medium-term position. We are surrounded by significant risk. That means that whatever we decide to do with regard to additionality needs to be prioritised within the Government. Separately, we...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Uisce Éireann is an important part of the infrastructure task force we have established. From a funding perspective, we want to ensure water and wastewater are prioritised in the national development plan, which they will be. On the policy matter of whether to have developer-led infrastructure development in certain instances, this is a policy consideration that would have to be...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I am just saying that in the context of where something might need to be adjusted. The Cathaoirleach's input on this is valued, but it is something we would have to consider in the context of a change in how Uisce Éireann operates. Separately, the clear role we want to see being played in terms of additional investment for water and wastewater is all about housing supply. We are...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I will take the Cathaoirleach's suggestion back to the Department.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: We had a meeting of the accelerated infrastructure task force yesterday. There are emerging solutions that can make an impact this year. We hope to have a report on the barriers to infrastructure delivery within a month and then take actions based on that. That will make a difference. I will set it out when that is compiled. A lot of processes are not serving delivery, which needs to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: If we look at some of the distributional analysis from last year, we can see the impact of what we did in budget 2025. We published the well-being framework last week and the distributional analysis of the impact it has had. We have a variety of tools that we use in our preparation of the budget process and also in the budget aftermath to assess the metrics the Deputy is referencing. That...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: On that, we will try to protect the profile of capital investment in the medium term. That is the critical growth-enabling infrastructure that will build the prosperity of the 2030s. It is important in the context of the risks that we have. Regarding the medium-term plan that was submitted in October, it is a technical document on a no-policy change basis. What the Government has to do...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I thank the Deputy for that important question. First, water and wastewater are being prioritised in the review of the national development plan. We have separate work ongoing on reviewing the shareholder level of expectation with all commercial State bodies in regard to what the Government expects them to do and what it expects them to deliver. We are progressing that reform as a distinct...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I also read the book. It is an important read that maps out the difficulty of that time in terms of navigating policy. The profile of spend has gone from €3.99 billion between current and capital to €8.6 billion and we still have the pressure that exists. That is why in the broader conversation on housing policy or any policy it is not all about additionality and we need to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: It is both. It cannot always be a conversation just about how much more a Minister of Department is receiving. That disguises the need to look at the baseline position on how Ministers can do more with their existing expenditure positions. That is a focus of mine.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I will come back to some of the points raised by the Deputy. I am not familiar with the exact nature of Turkish construction sector. I will say there is a general theme across the European Union about the need for simplification, balancing regulation and removing complexity, which is hamstringing many European economies. There are reforms happening with European procurement. We are...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Absolutely. That is exactly what we want to try to prioritise in the broader expenditure investment discussions. It has to be as much about outputs and looking at the baseline position around how Departments or agencies are managing their existing spend and what we are getting from it, particularly with the levels of increases we have seen in recent years.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The capital appraisal guidelines are published.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The data available to my department, in particular to the Office of Government Procurement through the eTenders platform data, provides information in relation to the number of submissions received for competitions published on eTenders. Data is also available on the number of competitions that have published a contract award notice on the platform. My department does not however have access...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The 2016 Regulations made mandatory the use of electronic procurement (eprocurement) in all procurement procedures. eTenders as the national eprocurement platform allows contracting authorities meet their obligations in this regard. In terms of notices, the Regulations mandated the items below:Mandatory enotification and electronic access to tender documents.Mandatory submission of tenders...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Individual Accounting Officers are responsible for ensuring that their public procurement functions are discharged in line with the standard accounting and procurement rules and procedures and are accountable for expenditure incurred. Individual Contracting Authorities are responsible for establishing arrangements for ensuring the proper conduct of their affairs, including conformance to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: As the Deputy will be aware, ultimate responsibility for public procurement within the Department, like all matters of financial management, falls to the Secretary General as Accounting Officer. However, the Deputy may also be aware that, under Circular 40/02, all Departments are required to appoint a Procurement Officer. In that context, the Procurement Officer in my Department is Gillian...