Results 1,721-1,740 of 33,392 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Appointments Service (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) that the original decision taken in this case was subject to formal review. This review was carried out by a formal reviewer from the Compliance function in PAS, which operates independently of recruitment. The formal reviewer issued the outcome to the candidate on 5th December 2024. The candidate raised issues in relation to his...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: An Garda Síochána (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The Single Public Service Pension Scheme was introduced in 2013 to place publicly-funded retirement benefits on a more sustainable footing. The Single Scheme is the default public service pension scheme for all new entrant public servants since 1 January 2013. While all public servants recruited after 2013 are enrolled in the Single Scheme, uniformed staff such as firefighters, members...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Appointments to State Boards (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that there were no such appointments in the time period specified.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Government policy in relation to starting pay in the civil and public service is that all new entrants start on Point 1 of the relevant salary scale. Incremental credit is granted under the terms of Circular 21/2004 :- Agreement on incremental credit for previous service for entry levels at Clerical Officer, Executive Officer, or equivalent grades represented by the Civil and Public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Artificial Intelligence (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: In relation to the use of AI, my Department has regard to relevant guidance published by the National Cyber Security Centre, the seven requirements for ethical AI that have been developed by the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on AI in their Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI and the Interim Guidelines for the Use of AI in the Public Service. These Interim Guidelines,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: In terms of general grade Civil Service recruitment, the Public Appointments Service has panel availability for Clerical Officer (CO) Irish and existing vacancies are being filled from that at the moment. It is anticipated that another CO Irish competition will be launched later this year but no advertising date has been confirmed as yet. An Executive Officer Irish competition is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 404 and 405 together. Following on from the 2011 Programme for Government, the Public Service Reform Plan 2011 set out that purchase orders for €20,000 or over by a Government Department or Agency should be published online, with this being implemented across 2011 and 2012. The Freedom of Information Act 2014 puts in place a structure to support the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Official Travel (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: In 2023 and 2024 I travelled on four occasions on behalf of the State. I represented the State abroad twice in 2023 and twice in 2024. On the first occasion in 2023 I travelled to Germany from March 14 to 18 as part of the Government’s St. Patrick’s Day Programme for a total of five days and four nights. On the second occasion in 2023, I travelled to the United States from...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Contracts (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department requires any successful tenderer to supply its Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Registration Number to facilitate online verification of their tax status before they can be set up as a supplier on the Department’s financial management system. Following their set-up as a supplier, all payments providing goods or services to my...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Contracts (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department had no contracts with the companies referenced during the timeframe specified.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Employment Rights (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: Public Procurement is governed by EU and national rules. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers best value for money. Specifically, EU rules require tenderers to be compliant with relevant employment law in order to participate in a public procurement process. The directives make it clear that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery (22 Jan 2025)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy’s question raises issues that had already suggested themselves in the case of the National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021 – No. 57 of 2021. My Department has referred the issues raised by that Bill to the Office of the Attorney General for advice. My Department will examine that advice as soon as it is available.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2024 [Certified Money Bill]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I am pleased to present the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill to the House, which has passed all Stages in the Dáil. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission came into existence in January 2004 and the legislation that set it up allowed it to play two roles. First, it was the sanctioning authority for expenditure, for deciding on staff numbers up to the grade of...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2024 [Certified Money Bill]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank all the Senators for the issues they raised and for their co-operation in facilitating the passage of the Bill in the way we are progressing it this afternoon. I start by addressing the issues raised in common. Several Senators raised issues relating to the terms and conditions of cleaners within the complex. It is not a matter in which I am directly involved, but I will follow-up...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2024: Second Stage (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: This is the Appropriation Bill for 2024. It is very much a technical Bill. It is worth emphasising that before this legislation gets to the Oireachtas, all the different Estimates that constitute the very large amount of money provided for in this Bill have been debated by the relevant Oireachtas committees. All of the different provisions in relation to the availability of money have...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2024: Second Stage (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Senators Davitt, McDowell and Kyne for the points they have raised. Senator Kyne re-emphasised the issues he has concerning Inland Fisheries Ireland, which he has raised persistently in Seanad Éireann. I will again ensure the issues he has raised are passed on to the Minister for agriculture because I am aware that this is an issue with which he has been concerned over many...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2024: Second Stage (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish all Senators good luck. I also acknowledge and thank the staff of the Oireachtas for all the work they do and for their co-operation with me and my office.

Seanad: Appropriations Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: A few moments ago, I thought I had made my final contribution in this Seanad.

Seanad: Appropriations Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Senator has proved me wrong. God knows what the afternoon could yet bring. I was involved with the Moorhead report and with the various decisions we made on councillors' expenses and recognition for the very hard work they do. I will have to come back to the Senator separately on the status of the review of councillors' pensions. I am sure the matter is being dealt with by the...

Appropriation Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to say something on the Schedule. I should have said it earlier but given this also will be my final opportunity to speak in this Dáil - although like everybody on the Opposition benches, I hope to be in the next one, depending on the support of our electorate and our constituents - I thank all the Deputies over the Dáil term for their co-operation in how we have debated...