Results 23,301-23,320 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (16 Jun 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: Departmental Functions (16 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Government has committed to €165 billion in capital investment through the National Development Plan (NDP) published last year. As a percentage of national income, annual capital investment is now among the largest in the EU. In 2022, almost €12 billion will fund vital infrastructure in areas such as housing, transport, education, enterprise, sport and climate action. My...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (16 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: All public works projects that are delivered under the Exchequer-funded element of the Government's capital plan must be procured in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Capital Works Management Framework (CWMF). The CWMF represents the tools that a public body must use to procure and manage the external resources necessary to deliver a public works project that is to be delivered...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Inflation Rate (16 Jun 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 housing,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (16 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy may be aware, the principle of abatement of a public service pension is long-standing within the rules of various public service pension schemes. Prior to the Public Service Pension (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012), pension abatement applied only where an individual was re-employed in the same sector. The Single Scheme Act extended abatement such that an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Policies (16 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 228 together. Due to the nature of its role, my Department, including the Office of Government Procurement therein, has no office locations that provide services directly to the general public. The Customer Service Charter for my Department describes the service each customer is entitled to expect when dealing with the Department and our commitment to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flexible Work Practices (16 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: There are no plans to reinstate the working from home advice. The working from home guidance was a public health measure introduced in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government announced, on 10 February this year, a suite of measures to mitigate the impact of recent inflation on citizens and assist with rising costs of living. This package builds on the measures announced as part...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information (21 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Supreme Court recently considered constitutional issues relating to the potential applicability of access to information regimes to President in the case of Right to Know v.Commissioner for Environmental Information [2022] IESC 19. The Court's findings confirm, in light of the President's immunity under Article 13.8 1° of the Constitution, that any move to make the President or his...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flexible Work Practices (21 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: You will be aware that the Government has committed in the Programme for Government to mandating public sector employers to move to 20% home and remote working.    In the case of the Civil Service, remote working will be facilitated into the future on a blended basis, with the aim of achieving the Programme for Government goal.  In this context, my Department, in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (21 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy may be aware, motor travel rates were last reviewed in 2017 and the current rates are set out in Circular 05/2017: Motor Travel Rates. Day and overnight subsistence rates were last reviewed in December 2021 and the current rates are set out in Circular 23/2021. The rates are currently being reviewed by my officials and work is ongoing on devising new rates reflecting...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy is aware, as part of the annual 2019 Spending Review process, DPER conducted a review of participation and costs associated with Apprenticeships.  The main aim of the Spending Review process, which is currently in its 2020-2022 cycle, is to continue to subject key policies and expenditure programmes across Government to critical assessment in support of the service-wide...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Burial Grounds (21 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: I refer the Deputy to the previous contribution by the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works on this matter. Consideration for the undertaking of such a proposal is one which is not a unilateral matter for the Office of Public Works and is a matter for decision by the Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage in the first instance....

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (23 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: I am delighted to be here for Committee Stage of this important Bill. I will speak to this group of amendments. This is a very important area of the Bill and a very important set of issues have been raised that I am anxious to address insofar as I can. These amendments concern the retrospective application of the protections of the legislation to workers who have reported wrongdoing prior...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: Reflecting the obligations to self-isolate laid down in public health advice and to assist in the prevention of the possible onward spread of the virus in the workplace, special leave with pay for COVID-19 arrangements were introduced by my Department in March 2020.  This was a temporary measure in response to the unprecedented circumstances presented by the COVID...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Appointments Service (22 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy will be aware, the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is the independent, statutory body that provides professional recruitment and selection services to the civil service.  It establishes panels from recruitment competitions, with candidates ranked in order of merit, that are available to civil service employers to access as and when vacancies may arise while the panel...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Policies (22 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: If a civil servant is absent due to attending a doctor/dental/hospital appointment for either a full day or a half-day (a.m. or p.m.) the absence in question is recorded as sick absence. However, if the staff member has attended for work prior to/after the appointment they can claim time for a sick absence on the following basis: Morning Appointment - If staff attending a health appointment...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (23 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank Senators Boyhan and Davitt for raising the issue. The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 protects workers from penalisation if they report concerns about wrongdoing or potential wrongdoing in the workplace. The term "worker" is defined in section 3 of the Act as being an individual who is or was an employee, a contractor, an agency worker, a work experience student pursuant to a...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (23 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: That is correct.

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (23 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank Senator Flynn for raising these issues. On the proposal to include bringing vexatious proceedings against a worker in the definition of penalisation, it is already a penalty under section 24 of the Bill. It does not need to be specifically included in the definition of penalisation. My officials gave detailed consideration to the pre-legislative recommendation on medical and...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (23 Jun 2022)

Michael McGrath: Section 3 outlines repeals, including the repeal of section 5(7A). This is a technical amendment to remove a reference to subsection 7A of section 5 of the Principal Act. Section 5(7A) was inserted into the Principal Act by the European Union (Protection of Trade Secrets) Regulations 2018, which provided for the transposition of the trade secrets directive. This directive required that a...