Results 25,621-25,640 of 33,175 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Page 8 of the Mid-Year Expenditure Report 2016 outlined the Pre-Budget position for 2017 including approximately €0.9bn worth of measures already committed for 2017. This is elaborated upon in Table 1. The total includes provision for demographic related pressures across Health, Social Protection and Education of c €0.4 billion in total. A saving arising from lower...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: In response to the Deputy's question, the total travel expenses and reimbursement costs incurred by my Department since 2011 are outlined in the following table. Year Amount 2011 €180,241 2012 €299,887* 2013 €426,953** 2014 €291,841 2015 €321,569 2016 €187,388 *The number of staff in my Department has increased significantly since 2012 with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Data Protection (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: In response to the Deputy's question, my Department has a specific Data Protection Officer.  As well as holding this position, the officer has other duties.  The Department is a "Data Controller" for the purposes of the Data Protection Acts.  The duties of a Data Controller are discharged within the Department through its procedures of control and systems of assurance...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Remuneration (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 503 and 504 together. The following tables outline the approximate annual costs of introducing a minimum wage at the rates specified in the questions for employees in my Department and the bodies under its aegis. - €12 per hour €13 per hour €14 per hour €15 per hour Department of Public Expenditure and Reform...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Labour Court Recommendations (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The question is in relation to the issue of pension entitlements for Community Employment Supervisors which was the subject of a Labour Court recommendation in 2008. The position in this regard is that although the employing bodies concerned are mainly funded by public expenditure programmes, the State does not have any role as an employer in this sector and the employees of such bodies...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Industrial Development (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department is aware of a proposed masterplan for Haulbowline Island in County Cork, including a proposal for investment in an innovation hub. Any specific proposals would have to be considered by the relevant Departments in the first instance. I understand that Enterprise Ireland, an agency of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, recently invited Expressions of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The response relates to lump sums paid to civil servants, as this is the area which falls within my responsibility. The payment of pensions has been largely centralised to the Payroll Shared Service Centre, which is part of my Department, over recent years. However, for the period covered by the question a number of Departments paid retirement lump sums at a local level. The following...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pensions Insolvency Payments Scheme (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy is referring to the contract which was awarded to B&E Limited to administer the pension payments in respect of the Waterford Crystal PIPS Pension Payroll. These pensions are covered by the Pension Insolvency Payment Scheme (PIPS) which was introduced on 1st February, 2010 to assist the former employees of companies that became insolvent and where their defined benefit pension...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Local Authority Staff (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The issue of addressing the cost of restoring staffing levels in the Local Authorities is a matter, in the first instance. for the consideration of my colleague the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I refer the Deputy to my reply to PQ 43 of 31st May 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The 10% reductions in starting pay for certain new entrants were introduced in January 2011 as part of the National Recovery Plan in order to reduce the Public Service Pay Bill by the then Government. The issue of addressing the difference in incremental salary scales between those public servants who entered public service employment since 2011 and those who entered before...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015 provides for a significant phased amelioration of the cuts to public service pensions imposed by the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR). This pension restoration under FEMPI 2015 is now underway, with pension adjustments scheduled in three phases, on 1 January 2016, 1 January 2017 and 1...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (27 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: In response to the Deputy's question, the following table outlines the cost of ensuring that all staff in my Department and the bodies under its aegis are paid €11.50 per hour or above. Such information in respect of other Government Departments and bodies under their aegis would have to be the subject of separate questions to the relevant Ministers. Organisation Annual Cost...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the committee for inviting me here to discuss the economic and fiscal position in the context of budget 2017. The Government and I, as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, are very supportive of, and appreciate the need for, the Oireachtas having an enhanced input into discussions on budgetary priorities. It was in this context that I published the mid-year expenditure report...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Of the expenditure increase that is planned for next year, €900 million is set to honour the commitments we have in continuing to provide our existing services. For example, the contribution of that is in demographics, the Lansdowne Road agreement and capital investment. The breakdown varies by Government Department, and that was all laid out in the summer economic statement by...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: For example, most of what happened under the framework of commitments we have under the Lansdowne Road agreement, alongside the wage increases that are due to our public servants, tend to be associated with productivity changes as well. We now have an organisation of economists within my Department whose job it is to look at our capital expenditure to ensure it is meeting the requirements we...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: From experience of dealing with this process in my current and previous job, I know this type of behaviour, which has existed, has been dramatically reduced compared with previous years. The simple fact is that in many cases resources have been reduced compared with what we had in previous years. The road budget is a matter we must address, and the Minister, Deputy Ross, has been raising it...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I cannot give the Deputy a guide on the September figures at this stage because they are still being collated by the Department of Finance and they have not been shared with me. Assuming we do not change policy in any other area, I do not expect any kind of a significant change in the fiscal space, although it will depend on our September figures as well.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: It is precisely in recognition of the Deputy's point that we made a decision to increase the health Estimate earlier in the year by €500 million and make the funding available to the health service earlier in the year.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: We do that when the Cabinet meets. We can see how that worked. It is the reason the health allocation for this year was changed in an early part of the year, as the health Estimate was increased by €500 million. We also increased the justice Estimate by €40 million because the ability to make such changes without an associated change in our ability to raise revenue will be...