Results 15,781-15,800 of 34,135 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Freedom of Information Legislation (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Freedom of Information Act 2014 revised, updated and consolidated the freedom of information regime in this country, removed the upfront fee for requests and made the system in general more user-friendly. The success of this initiative is illustrated by the fact that between 2014 and 2017, the latest year for which figures are available, there was a 67% increase in the number of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Freedom of Information Legislation (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: That is correct. I am aware of the evaluation that has been formed by some people in respect of the operation of the freedom of information legislation. I do not have any evidence to corroborate the suggestion that predictions of the demise of the freedom of information legislation are being borne out. I have monitored what has happened following the three court judgments to which the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Freedom of Information Legislation (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I look forward to seeing and considering the Sinn Féin legislation. The fact that there has been a change or an evolution in the number of requests being granted or denied does not mean that the legislation is no longer working. Rather than believing that the legislation is in some way failing to meet its objectives, surely we should be open to the view that officials who make their...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Funding (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware, I am responsible for setting the overall multi-annual capital expenditure ceilings and for allocating these resources across Departments. My Department is also subsequently responsible for monitoring expenditure, on a monthly basis, at a departmental level against these agreed ceilings. In this context, the precise schedule of multi-year funding of the national...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Funding (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As part of the budgetary process for 2020 and beyond, I will engage with Deputies Cowen and Michael McGrath on the matter, as I am required to do. I repeat that it is my intention that no other projects will be affected as a result of the decision to move ahead with the national broadband plan. There are other reasons beyond any decision on the national broadband plan that projects can...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Equality Proofing of Budgets (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: To further guide the roll-out of equality budgeting, an Equality Budgeting Expert Advisory Group was established, holding its first meeting in September 2018. The group has to date met on five occasions. In line with the Transparency Code it is expected that the minutes of those meetings will be available on the gov.ie website shortly. This group is comprised of a broad...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Spending Code (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Spending Code is the set of rules and procedures that are in place to support public bodies in achieving value for money as they implement all projects, including major projects, through the course of the project’s lifecycle. Each project works through a lifecycle from project identification, appraisal/business case, planning & design, procurement, implementation, to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Pay Commission Reports (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 25 and 36 together. The Public Service Pay Commission was established to advise 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...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service Management (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Civil Service employers must and do consider their obligations under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015 to provide reasonable accommodation.  Reasonable accommodation is about meeting the needs of people with disabilities, including visual impairment, so that they can have access to and can participate and advance in employment. The intention of the provisions dealing with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware, under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA), it was agreed by all parties that there would be an examination of remaining salary scale issues in respect of post January 2011 recruits at entry grades. The discussions were informed by a Report, of March 2018 to the Houses of the Oireachtas  in accordance with Section 11 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Performance Management Systems (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: In recent years, significant reforms have been implemented to Ireland’s budgetary framework to embed sound expenditure management practice that maintains a focus on the results being achieved across the public service and the extent to which public spending is delivering on key policy objectives. Performance budgeting is a key element of this suite of expenditure reform measures....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Training (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Our Public Service 2020 which I launched in December 2017 establishes the overall strategy for development and innovation in the Public Service to 2020 and beyond. This framework for driving development and innovation will build a stronger public service to deliver better quality services for everyone over the period from 2018 to 2020 and beyond. As set out in that strategy in order to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Brexit Preparations (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government’s Contingency Action Plan, published at the end of last year and updated at the end of January, sets out the comprehensive, cross-Government preparations for Brexit.  All Departments have sector-specific plans in place identifying key challenges associated with Brexit and associated mitigation approaches.  We have also taken important steps to prepare our...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Broadband Plan Expenditure (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I value the independent and strong advice of the officials in both of my Departments. It is for this reason that the advice provided by officials in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding the National Broadband Plan was made public on 8 May 2019. However, on this occasion, I formed a different view to that of my Department. As I have previously stated, this is for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Health Services Expenditure (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As you are aware managing expenditure within the overall fiscal parameters has been a key factor in ensuring that our fiscal targets have been achieved. A key responsibility of each Minister and Department is delivering public services efficiently and effectively within their budgetary allocations. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is in regular contact with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Data (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The information which has been requested by the Deputy in respect of my Department and the bodies under its aegis is set out below: Organisation Number of FOI Requests Granted in 2018  Number of FOI Requests Part Granted in 2018  Number of FOI Requests Refused in 2018 Department of Public Expenditure and Reform 60 68 67 Office of Public Works 29 36 39 Office of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Budgets (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Managing expenditure within the overall fiscal parameters has been a key factor in ensuring that our fiscal targets have been achieved. A key responsibility of each Minister and Department is delivering public services efficiently and effectively within their budgetary allocations. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is in regular contact with all other...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level.  The responsibility for the management and delivery of the individual investment projects, within the allocations agreed under the NDP, rests with the individual sponsoring Department in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Spending Code (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Spending Code is the set of rules and procedures that are in place to support public bodies in achieving value for money as they implement all projects, including major projects, through the course of the project’s lifecycle. Each project works through a lifecycle from project identification, appraisal/business case, planning & design, procurement, implementation, to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Disability Act Employment Targets (20 Jun 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities (CES) proposes to increase the existing disability employment target of 3% to 6% incrementally by 2024. I understand from my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality that the legislation increasing the employment target from  3% to 6% in the Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill has not...