Results 25,901-25,920 of 33,175 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 179 and 180 together. The key focus of fiscal policy over the last number of years has been to reduce the General Government Deficit in line with the targets set under the Excessive Deficit Procedure. The management of public expenditure has played an important role in ensuring that these key fiscal targets have been achieved. The EU Commission has...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: UK Referendum on EU Membership (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department has been taking part in the work of the Interdepartmental Group on EU/UK relations which was convened by the Department of the Taoiseach in advance of the UK Referendum on EU membership, as well as the EU Senior Officials' Group that is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach. It contributed to the risk assessment conducted by the Department of the Taoiseach in advance of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 182 to 184, inclusive, together. I am satisfied that the Croke Park Agreement and Haddington Road Agreement combined delivered on their objectives by facilitating significant cost savings in the public service paybill while supporting an extensive public service reform agenda in an industrial relations climate of industrial peace. This was a view shard by...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Procurement reform is a key element of the Government's overall reform programme and is aimed at delivering increased value for money, more accurate and timely data and improvement in the capacity and capability of procurement across the public service. The fragmented procurement arrangements across the public service facilitated amongst other things suppliers charging different public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy will recall that at the time of the Expenditure Statement in October 2014 an end to the Moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service was announced, to be replaced with new delegated management arrangements to be phased in during 2015 and 2016. These arrangements, which now apply to most Government departments give public service managers the means to respond to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Appointments to State Boards (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware the Government introduced new arrangements to the appointment of State Board members in 2011. Under the new arrangements departments now invite expressions of interest from the public on their websites for vacancies on the boards of bodies under their aegis. It is open to all members of the public regardless of gender, political affiliations or geographical location...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, the civil and public service is an equal opportunities employer and all recruitment campaigns are conducted in strict compliance with the Codes of Practice set out by the Commission for Public Service Appointments. Codes include the Code of Practice governing the External and Internal Appointments of Persons with Disabilities to Positions in the Irish Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Lansdowne Road Agreement (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Pay issues for public servants are currently determined within the constraints set by the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Acts 2009-2015 while the industrial relations environment is managed under the terms of the Public Service Agreement 2013-2018 (Lansdowne Road Agreement). My colleague with direct responsibility for matters relating to the terms and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Planning for the potential implications of the result of the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union is challenging as the economic impact of the UK's eventual exit from the EU will very much depend on the outcome of the negotiations between the UK and the EU. The Government has adopted a Contingency Framework, coordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach, to map out the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Planning for the potential implications of the result of the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union is particularly challenging. Until Article 50 is invoked by the UK, the precise timescale for the UK's withdrawal from the EU is not known. The economic impact of the UK's exit from the EU will also very much depend on the nature of the new arrangements to be agreed between...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (6 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Programme for Government states that Government will establish a Public Service Pay Commission to examine pay levels across the public service. As I have previously advised, the precise structure of such a commission and the technical aspects as to how it would operate have yet to be decided upon and would require broad consultation. The Commission's work will help Government, staff...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: UK Referendum on EU Membership (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 372, 373, 375 and 376 together. Following the outcome of the UK Referendum on EU membership, the Irish Government has been clear that it remains committed to the successful implementation of the EU funded PEACE and INTERREG programmes.  The programmes are not only an important source of funding, but provide a visible demonstration of the European...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Institutes of Technology (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy will appreciate that a very important consideration in considering the scope for independent borrowing by institutions in the higher education sector is whether that borrowing is categorised as falling within the General Government sector or not. Universities have traditionally had autonomous borrowing powers as they are classified as outside General Government....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Disability Act Employment Targets (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The civil and public service is an equal opportunities employer and all recruitment campaigns are conducted in strict compliance with the Codes of Practice set out by the Commission for Public Service Appointments. Codes include the Code of Practice governing the External and Internal Appointments of Persons with Disabilities to Positions in the Irish Civil Service and Certain Public Bodies,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Disability Act Employment Targets (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 sets a 3% target for the employment of people with disabilities in the Public Service. This is monitored on an annual basis by the National Disability Authority (NDA).  The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is responsible for reporting to the NDA on the Civil Service position regarding this target. In...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Recruitment to the Office of the Ombudsman is not restricted to existing civil servants. Generally speaking, recruitment to Clerical and Executive Officer grades has been from general panels established by the Public Appointments Service, which in turn have been formed by means of either open public competition or confined civil service promotion competitions. In relation to recruitment...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ombudsman's Remit (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Ombudsman Act 1980, as amended provides that, following an investigation and before he makes recommendations, the Ombudsman shall send a copy of his draft report and findings to the reviewable agency concerned and to any other person to whom he considers appropriate.  The Ombudsman cannot make a finding or criticism adverse to a person in a report without having afforded...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Levy (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As provided for under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015, a significant phased amelioration of the reductions to public service pensions imposed by the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) is now underway. On 1 January 2016, the first phase of this amelioration took place by way of increases in the exemption thresholds for PSPR application....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Data (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 386 and 387 together. My Department was established in July 2011 and I can confirm that at all times we operated within agreed employment control framework "ECF" numbers and within predetermined budgets. All decisions to recruit, including replacement posts, are carefully considered as part of our Workforce Planning process.  We do not track...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Haddington Road Agreement Implementation (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 388 and 389 together. 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...