Results 23,081-23,100 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: -----and the Government is committed to advancing it. It has to go through a statutory process. As it goes through the process, the funding issue can then be met and funding can be made available. When the Deputy looks at the full range of housing, healthcare, road infrastructure, public transport, education, sports capital and community facilities, this is a Government that has been very...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy is aware, my Department is responsible for policy on allocating public funds across each area of Government spending and ensuring expenditure is managed in line with these allocations by Departments. In this way, officials from my Department engage with their counterparts on proposals on a variety of expenditure measures, including in relation to housing. However, queries...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I believe there will be great interest in the Croí Cónaithe towns fund, because it will essentially involve providing grants to renovate derelict vacant properties. We all know that there are too many of them in our towns and villages around Ireland. They are located in communities where services are already in place. Many of them are in the centre of towns and villages. It...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputies very much for raising those points. In regard to planning, they will be aware of the major initiative that is currently under way, which is led by the Attorney General. We are expecting new consolidated planning legislation later this year, which is a very significant step that we believe will help to ease some of the blockages that currently exist in the system and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89, 93, 98 and 133 together. The Government has committed €165 billion in capital investment through the national development plan, NDP. As a percentage of national income, annual capital investment is now among the largest in the European Union. In the current year, almost €12 billion will fund vital infrastructure in areas such as...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I will come back to the Deputy with the specific details of the project concerned, the Ballina to Killaloe river crossing. I wish to reassure him that the strengthening of the external assurance process is not designed, in any way, to slow down or delay the delivery of projects. All the evidence, in this regard, indicates that the single most effective way to address scheduled delay, and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank both Deputies for raising these issues. On the question of delays, I want to provide reassurance again that these new strengthened procedures are not there to delay projects, nor do I believe that they are delaying projects. One of the key elements for Departments when bringing forward major projects is that they must engage with the panel of external experts that my Department has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Budget Targets (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for raising this question. The draft stability programme update, SPU, 2022, published on 13 April, outlines the latest fiscal and economic projections for 2022. The SPU outlines core expenditure of €80.1 billion for 2022. With non-core expenditure of €7.5 billion, including in respect of Covid funding and the Brexit adjustment reserve, this gives an overall...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Budget Targets (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: In the current year, we provided for a reserve of almost €4 billion, €1.5 billion of which has now been spent or accounted for. That €4 billion was, in effect, earmarked for Covid-related expenditure. It is anticipated it will not all be needed for that, although some of it certainly will. We have said that the cost of looking after Ukrainian refugees who come here...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Budget Targets (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy knows, in the stability programme update we have made provision of up to €3 billion for the cost of looking after refugees across a full year next year. It is a high-level estimate. In truth, we simply do not know what the real cost will be. So much depends on the number of people who come here, how many of them stay, and to what extent they will join the labour force...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (27 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy may be aware, there are two separate pension increase arrangements applying to public service pensions depending when individuals joined their relevant pension scheme. These are as follows: 1. Single Scheme: This the mandatory pension Scheme for all new-joiner pensionable public servants since 2013. The Scheme's rules are set out in legislation and are outlined in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Measures (27 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: The process of unwinding the Financial Emergency (FEMPI) legislation commenced under the Lansdowne Road Agreement 2016-2018, with the remainder of the process largely completed under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA).  This will continue under ‘Building Momentum: A New Public Service Agreement, 2021-2022’. At this point, salary rates up to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 99 together. Public service pay has been governed by a system of collective agreements since the Croke Park Agreement was negotiated in 2010. These collective agreements have helped to ensure that public pay is managed in a sustainable, affordable and orderly manner. These agreements have also enabled significant reform of public services and changes to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Data (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Revised Estimates 2022 set out an Government Expenditure Ceiling of €87,593 million. This reflected funding allocated to Departments of almost €83 billion, with further amounts totalling just over €4.6 billion held in reserve. This reserve amount included some €3.9 billion in the Covid Contingency. In February 2022 Government announced a cost of living...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ukraine War (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Ireland, with our EU partners, is committed to helping Ukraine and its people. This includes providing necessary funds to meet the costs of providing for Ukrainian refugees arriving to Ireland. There is a whole of government approach in place to coordinate the necessary humanitarian response in order to make provision for the necessary accommodation, social protection supports, health and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Services Provision (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Thank you Deputy for the question. I am pleased to report that my Department has made significant progress to enable our public service to drive innovation in order to support our citizens. Since I launched the Public Service Innovation Strategy, ‘Making Innovation Real’ in November 2020, my Department has assisted Public Service organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: It is important that Ireland’s statutory National Minimum Wage and the Living Wage concept are not confused. The Living Wage has no legislative basis and is therefore not a statutory entitlement. It currently stands at €12.90 per hour according to the Living Wage Technical Group document 2021. The National Minimum Wage is a statutory entitlement and has a legislative basis....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, the Secretary General of a Department is appointed by the Government on the recommendation of the relevant Minister.  The selection process for appointment to the position of Secretary General is generally undertaken by the Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) with the assistance of the Public Appointments Service (PAS).  As the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Data (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: During the first quarter of 2022 net voted expenditure amounted to €15.2 billion and was €0.4 billion or 2.3% below profile. This variance was largely driven by capital expenditure. Net current expenditure was €63 million or 0.4% below profile, while capital expenditure was €302 million or 21% below profile. Regarding current expenditure, Health expenditure at...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Data (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Overall expenditure for the first quarter of 2022 is €18.9 billion. This is some €607 million (-3.1%) below the same period in 2021. Gross voted current expenditure of €17,746 million was €820 million or 4.4% below the same period last year. This largely reflects reduced expenditure in the Department of Social Protection, which was €2 billion lower than...