Results 23,161-23,180 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (18 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: My understanding is that this matter relates to pensions increase policy as it applies to former employees of the National Building Agency (NBA) and members of the NBA superannuation scheme. In that regard, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has sought assistance on this matter from officials in my Department. The current position is that my officials sought...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flexible Work Practices (19 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: Further to Parliamentary Question No. 583 of 26 April 2022, the availability of flexitime accrual for those availing of a blended working arrangement is continuing to be considered. The Civil Service will test how flexitime accrual in a blended working environment will impact on the operational and business needs of organisations. This will involve a testing of approaches, informed by a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Properties (19 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department had no costs of this nature during the period specified.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Social Wage (24 May 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 that expenditure is managed in line with these allocations by Departments. In this way, officials from my Department engage with their counterparts on proposals in relation to a variety of expenditure measures including in relation to social welfare,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Government Communications (24 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The information requested by the Deputy is set out below. Michael McGrath T.D. – Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Contact Means Address Address Minister’s Office, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion Street, D02 R583 email minister@per.gov.ie ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (24 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The allocation of resources from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve is aligned with the annual Estimates process, which has been the vehicle for allocating Brexit resources since the UK referendum on EU membership in 2016. Budget 2022 announced that around €500 million of the overall BAR allocation will be made available as a first tranche of funding, with the remainder available in 2023....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (24 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I would refer the Deputy to my replies to recent Parliamentary Questions on this matter. The Government recently agreed to the establishment of an Independent Review Panel into recruitment and pay determination processes in place for Senior Public Service posts. The Panel is chaired by Dr. Donal de Buitléir, with Ms. Jenny Smyth and Mr. Bryan Andrews members of the Panel. The review...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Investigations (24 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not commissioned or conducted any investigations of this nature in the past ten years.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Data (25 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The grade of Principal Officer (PO) encompasses pay-scales at PO Standard Scale and PO Higher Scale.  In total, there are 4 levels as both scales include members appointed before April 1995 where no pension contribution is required (Non PPC) and those appointed after April 1995 where a personal pension contribution is required (PPC Scales). Table 1 shows the numbers in each...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (25 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Deputy will be aware that I have primary responsibility for Civil Service pensions only.  The responsibility for other Public Service pensions rests with the relevant Minister. Therefore this department would not have the full information requested by the Deputy in respect of on all individuals who left the public service. The Deputy would need to seek that information separately...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (26 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service Organisations was published on Thursday 31st March 2022. The Framework provides for a consistent facilitation of remote working across the Civil Service, appropriate to local business needs, while maintaining the Civil Service’s position as an employer of choice. This document was published following a thorough and productive...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what is such an important issue. The scenes at Dublin Airport that we all witnessed on our screens at the weekend are completely unacceptable. Passengers going through the airport should not have had to endure an experience like that and I can only imagine the stress, anxiety and anger that was caused to so many of them. Many of them had been saving long...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy. The message from the Government could not be clearer. The DAA needs to do whatever it takes to ensure this issue is addressed and that we do not see those kinds of scenes again, especially on the forthcoming bank holiday weekend. That is why the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, reinforced to the DAA executives the imperative to get...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The decision of the DAA in May 2020 to embark on a voluntary severance scheme was against the backdrop at the time of a collapse in the aviation industry and the commercial reality that it was losing an enormous amount of money daily. It proposed a voluntary severance scheme and there was significant uptake of the scheme. It is also fair to say that the recovery in aviation has exceeded the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The DAA has major obligations as an employer. It now has a duty to ensure that it reaches a full staffing complement in order to ensure the safe and efficient running of Dublin Airport and Cork Airport, which also comes under the remit of the DAA. That is why it is in the process of a significant recruitment campaign, which has attracted a lot of interest. It has offered existing security...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I do not expect Deputy Boyd Barrett to come in here and give any kind of fair assessment of what the Government has done, but to come in and say it has done nothing is just blatantly incorrect. He knows that. In the most recent budget, and the measures since, we have introduced a package of approximately €2.4 billion of taxpayers' money to support households because we recognise and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Deputy's statement that what the Government has done is not enough is a fairer comment because that is his view, but to come to the Chamber to say we did nothing is, as I said, completely incorrect. I do not accept that €2.4 billion in measures represents a drop in the ocean. For a country the size of Ireland, the use of taxpayers' money of that magnitude is a major decision. It...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: -----and can afford to spend. We will then make decisions as a Government to be as fair as we possibly can in recognising the cost-of-living challenges people are undoubtedly facing but also being honest with people. The Government cannot fully off-set the impact on people's lives of this terrible war, which it had nothing to do with.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I have not had an opportunity to see the report he referenced that was published today, but I can give an update on the initiatives-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I was not aware that the Deputy was going to raise this specific issue, but I will update him on what the Government is planning to do at policy level. We can respond to the Deputy on a bilateral basis in more detail. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 does not extend to people who are involuntarily detained under the Mental Health Act 2001 or detained subject to an order...