Results 15,261-15,280 of 32,961 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The reason I do not propose to do that is that we are trying to get more companies and local authorities involved in the delivery of more houses than are currently being built. We have tripled the stamp duty on commercial property and introduced a vacant site levy. I have also ended some of the tax reliefs that were made available for the construction sector. The purpose of all these...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Budgets (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Estimates process and the determination of expenditure ceilings now takes place as part of a whole-of-year budgetary cycle. The summer economic statement, SES, sets out the overall fiscal strategy for the approaching budget. The pre-budget expenditure position is provided for in the mid-year expenditure report. This sets the baseline for examination of budgetary priorities by the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Budgets (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy is correct that supplementary budgets have been required for different reasons in each of the years. In terms of this year, I have already commenced engagement with a number of Departments on their expected spend later this year. In terms of where we are now versus profile, while the vast majority of Departments are now either at or below profile, for me what is key is where we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Preparations (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As to whether a revised budget is going to be needed this year, the answer is "No". I indicated when we were facing into the prospect of Brexit that I would not be presenting another budget to the House. Instead, what I said I would allow to happen is the so-called automatic stabilisers, to which the Deputy is referring, coming into play in light of the fact that people will need support...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As set out in the most recent fiscal monitor published by the Department of Finance, total gross voted expenditure at the end of March was €15.04 billion. This is €343 million, or 2.2%, below profile. Gross voted current expenditure is €14.167 billion, which is €245 million, or 1.7%, below profile. Of the 17 ministerial Vote groups, 14 were below profile on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Yes, I am at present. The reply I would give is similar to that I gave Deputy Broughan. The Deputy asked where matters stand in the context of various programmes and I indicated that they are all funded and inside the parameters outlined in the budget. We have the ability to respond to different shocks with which we might have to deal. We have to keep on building up that ability, however....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I do. In particular, I am of the view that technology can play a very major role in further improving how public services are delivered. Each year, I meet all of our public and civil servants who are involved in the use of digital technology to improve how people can access public services. It is well appreciated that the Revenue Commissioners have done a really good job in that regard and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: What would be madness would be not making money available to people to give them somewhere to live while we are trying to build new homes. For this year alone, between one in four and one in five of all new homes constructed will be built by the State in order to alleviate the social needs to which the Deputy correctly refers. As those homes are put in place, the reliance on private rental...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: All my colleagues are correctly recognising the role of our Defence Forces and the contribution they make to the State. They are right to do so and I understand why. However, we also have to be conscious of the fact that other public servants are called on at times of emergency, to use the approach of Deputy Durkan, including those who work in the health services, the Garda and those who...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Preparations (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Since the UK referendum result in 2016, my Government colleagues and I have taken a number of steps to build up the resilience of our economy so that we have the capacity to deal with adverse economic shocks. These include building up our budgetary buffers by balancing our books. The steady increase in public spending implemented in recent years, with a particular focus on public capital...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Preparations (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: We have already published our own estimates regarding what impact we believe a disorderly Brexit would have on our economy. They are included in the stability programme update which, as the Deputy said, we will discuss this afternoon. The figures we have published on the impact on the Government's financial position assume we would need to borrow to ensure our income support programmes and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Public procurement is a priority for the Government and has undergone significant reform aimed at ensuring sustainable delivery of much-needed public services, while also encouraging and supporting SME participation in these business opportunities. This approach is beneficial for the State because it nurtures competition, which ensures value for money is maintained, and provides SMEs with a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The main measures undertaken by the Minister of State when considering how SMEs can play a larger role in this area were influenced by the advisory group. I have outlined some of them, such as examining turnover requirements, dividing public contracts into lots, providing for consortia bidding and requiring public bodies to advertise contracts above €25,000. A number of other...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Everything we are doing can be undertaken within the existing legal framework. We do not need further legislative change to the procurement process. In reply to a question at our previous session of priority questions, which feels like only yesterday, I acknowledged that Deputies Cowen and Jonathan O'Brien had a number of proposals about the issue and I suggested meeting after Easter to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Service Pay Commission was established to advise the Government on public service remuneration policy. In the current phase, the second phase of the commission's work, it was tasked by its terms of reference to undertake an examination of whether, and to what extent, there are difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff in important areas of the public service identified in its...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: We are doing that and I have outlined the dates by which the Public Service Pay Commission should be able to present and complete its work. We are also taking other steps to support the Defence Forces. The Deputy will be aware of all the work under way on wage restoration and on ensuring that by the end of the public service stability agreement, low and middle income workers will have seen...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: At each point in the year, we try to ensure that we are able to provide the right level of funding for HAP. The reason we have HAP in the first place is to ensure that, while we continue our work on rebuilding homes and building new ones, the citizens who are waiting for that housing to become available have homes and access to accommodation. That is why we are using this funding. Were we...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Regulations (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy was present for the Dáil debate on this matter last night. We explained why we had commissioned the PwC report and what work PwC could do to help us understand what went wrong with this project. The Deputy disagreed with us, but I pointed out to him that the PwC report went through the various elements that went wrong and what we could learn from it. The report made the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Regulations (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy has asked a series of questions regarding who was involved in particular decisions. Many of the decisions that the Deputy mentioned were made by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, NPHDB. A board and an executive were in place. Recommendations were made to the board, which then made decisions. In the debate on this matter, I have tried to point out that, while...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Regulations (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy put the final question to the Minister, Deputy Harris, last night. He will check to see whether it is possible for the Deputy to see the contract. I am afraid that I am not in a position to answer the question and I do not know whether there is any legal issue. Regarding responsibility, the board and representatives of the national paediatric hospital appeared before the...