Results 1,501-1,520 of 33,118 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (Supplementary)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Supplementary)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Supplementary)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Of course they do, but it may not be being spent by the Ombudsman. That is my point. Of course the figure exists, but it is almost certainly not within the Ombudsman. If the Ombudsman does have health-related expenditure, I anticipate that would constitute a small share of its overall legal costs.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (Supplementary)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Supplementary)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Supplementary)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: In the lifetime of this Government, by some way the most disruptive issue to us delivering our capital projects has been the impact of cost-price inflation. It has meant the costs for certain projects, through nobody's fault, have moved significantly ahead of what they would have been expected to be because the costs of concrete, steel, wood and energy have all changed over the past two...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (Supplementary)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Supplementary)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Supplementary)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Office of Government Procurement has done work to examine what the drivers of inflation I referred to are. It has been able to relate that back to raw materials and evaluate how the change in the cost of raw materials has impacted on the costs of projects and the procurement process. As for whether it is abating in any way, there have been some signs the rate of inflation is...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (Supplementary)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Supplementary)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Supplementary)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: If I were to highlight two reforms I believe are making a difference, the first is the way in which we have changed the process with regard to the public spending code. We have increased the threshold above which a further level of work needs to be done in evaluating the business case and where additional processes need to be triggered because the cost of the project is high. We have...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (Supplementary)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Supplementary)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Supplementary)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The main driver of that would be the expenses incurred by the Ombudsman in the delivery of their services. It is very difficult for us to be able to form a very accurate view and predict with total accuracy what its costs are going to be in any given year from a legal perspective. That is because the number of cases the office is involved in varies. The settlement period for cases is...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (Supplementary)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Supplementary)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Supplementary)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I would not have that information with me because that covers off such an array of legal actions the State is involved in. I can certainly try to find out for the Deputy and revert to her with an answer, but, obviously, it will transcend massively the activity of the Ombudsman.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (Supplementary)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Supplementary)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Supplementary)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Cathaoirleach and members for the opportunity to be here this afternoon. I am here to engage on six Supplementary Estimates proposed for Votes under the Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform Vote group. I will detail the requirements for each Vote but, in summary, they comprise a technical Supplementary Estimate of €1,000 for Vote 11; a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 297 and 304 together. The procedures for Ministerial consent of pension increases in commercial semi state bodies are outlined in the Annex on Remuneration and Superannuation of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, which was introduced by Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 16/2021. The Code of Practice provides that it...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by the Office of the Ombudsman that the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO), established in 2001, is an independent, non-partisan body responsible for overseeing the Ethics in Public Office Acts, the Electoral Act 1997 (as amended), the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Act 2014, and the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015. The Standards...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Data (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 300 and 301 together. Budget 2025 provided for an additional €6.9bn in voted expenditure in 2025. Of this €1.9bn was provided to fund a range of new measures detailed in the Expenditure Report 2025. In setting out the fiscal parameters for Budget 2025, the Summer Economic Statement (SES) also outlined voted expenditure projections for the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the tables below. Grade Number of Vacancies at the End of August 2023 Number of Vacancies at the End of August 2024 A/SEC 0 1 PO 2 0 AP 9 14 HEO 13 14 AO ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The issue outlined in your correspondence regarding when the arrears/rises to the occupational supplementary pension (OSP) will be paid to post 1995 Garda pensioners, is an operational matter for the Garda Pension Section. However, I can confirm that we are in discussions with the Garda Pensions Section in order to provide clarification on the OSP increase policy, in order to ensure that the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. Year Total number of officers on career break Numbers by Grade 2023 26 3 CO 2 EO 10 AO 1 AO* 6 HEO 3 AP 1 PO 2024 24 2 CO 2 EO 11 AO 1 AO* 5 HEO 2 AP 1 AP* *Represents grades on career break for 5 years or more.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I am satisfied that my Department is implementing Circular 4/2013 Career Break Scheme in the Civil Service. The Department facilitates staff returning from Career Break when they wish to return and has no instances where a career break has been extended unnecessarily due to not having an appropriate vacancy.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Correspondence (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that a deferred reply will be issued to him in respect of this Parliamentary Question, in line with Standing Order 51(1)(b).

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Funding (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Act 2024 established the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund (ICN Fund). The purpose of ICN Fund is to support the economy in times of exceptional need and to support Ireland’s transition to a low carbon economy. A total of €2bn will be invested in the Fund each year from 2024 to 2030 building up to an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Funding (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Act 2024 established the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund (ICN Fund). The purpose of ICN Fund is to support the economy in times of exceptional need and to support Ireland’s transition to a low carbon economy. A total of €2bn will be invested in the Fund each year from 2024 to 2030 building up to an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: While my Department has responsibility for setting the terms and conditions of various leave types for civil servants, it is a matter for individual employers to implement the provisions of the relevant circulars/policies accordingly. As outlined in Circular 4/2013, www.gov.ie/en/circular/bd914ab7ff3640c1a46d29b5bef84636/, Civil Servants who avail of a Career break are required to comply...