Results 481-500 of 9,898 for speaker:Jack Chambers

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I thank members of the joint committee for the opportunity to discuss the issues relevant to my Department. My Department operates at the centre of Government to drive the delivery of better public services, living standards and infrastructure. The remit of my Department is broad but can be summarised across three areas: governance and oversight of public expenditure; building capacity...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: €83,000 was transferred from the Office of Government Procurement, OGP, allocation due to the merger with the corporate division of the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. Committee fees of €170,000 were transferred from payroll, which mainly led to an overspend in 2024. This subhead also captures expenditure relating to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: It does, yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: It provides the technical assistance costs relating to the preparation, management and monitoring audit of Ireland's EU structural funds programmes. It concerns the administration and e-cohesion system for exchanging data electronically. The increase in 2025 is due to capital costs to ensure the systems used by the team to communicate with the EU for claims and audits are kept in line with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: That is what I have been informed of relating to the increase in the technical assistance cost relating to the e-cohesion system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: There is variability in receipts relating to the single public service pension scheme and the trends are more stable as the scheme matures. There will always be a variation depending on what receipts are received.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The appropriation-in-aid allocation is lower in 2025 because the 2024 allocation was increased in the technical Supplementary Estimate to reflect the transfer of funds from An Garda Síochána. That is why it has dropped.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I am happy to do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: A lot of State boards have and reference a specific mix of qualifications in how their composition should be established. Financial management is often a core part of their appointment to respective State boards when a Minister considers them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: These are matters each respective Minister should consider in order to have a proper mix on State boards in terms of financial management, governance and the mix of expertise required. When competitions happen through the Public Appointment Service, they often reference the specific skills or qualifications prioritised in respective positions. I agree that financial management expertise...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: We are conducting a full external audit and review of all aspects of the functions of the National Shared Services Office. Part of that will be to fully assess the issues that have evolved over the past number of weeks but also to look at its broader effectiveness. We will do that in the context of the review. It has a broader piece of work around financial management and better aligning...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: On the Office of the Ombudsman, there have been significant increases in duties and responsibilities between the Ombudsman, the Commission for Public Service Appointments, the protected disclosures commission and the respective offices under its auspices which have expanded in function and breadth over a series of years. It is in that light that it is being resourced more significantly than...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Year on year, from 2023 to 2024, the staff number went up by five individuals. From 2024 to 2025, it went from 154 to 182, so it went up by 19 individuals. There has been quite a significant year-on-year increase in overall staff. We are happy to provide information on staff numbers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: They are part of the broader Estimates but I am happy to provide the staff numbers for each of the agencies under our auspices.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I will come in on the-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: To be helpful-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The amount owed is €1.2 million but that is subject to validation and finalisation. The grades involved go from principal officer to Secretary General. The standard threshold relates not only to public sector pension totals but also has to be assessed if people have a private sector pension or other pension contributions that they made prior to their time in the public service. That...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Not all of them. The vast majority-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The number of Ministers who owe something is 32.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: That is what I was saying earlier. The Deputy asked about retired. The current number of that is 39. It is still subject to finalisation. I was just trying to be helpful.