Results 23,821-23,840 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (15 Nov 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 continuing under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA) and ‘Building Momentum: A New Public Service Agreement, 2021-2022’. Each year, under the terms of the FEMPI Act 2013, I am obliged to carry out an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (15 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: Budgetary and expenditure reforms remain a key feature of public expenditure management throughout all Departments. This important goal has been fully embedded across the system of Government and is progressed in a number of ways including the day-to-day management of resources, regular engagement across Departments on cross cutting issues and through the public service reform programme. It...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (22 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy may be aware, I have overall policy responsibility in relation to public service occupational pension schemes payable to retired public servants. Since 6 April 1995, all newly-appointed public servants became fully insured under the Social Insurance System. They pay Class A PRSI which would entitle them to Social Insurance Benefits such as, maternity benefit, illness benefit,...

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

Michael McGrath: Posts in the Irish Civil Service are generally open to suitably qualified candidates who are nationals of an EU Member State, including Ireland, or the European Economic Area (EEA). Such individuals have the right under the EU Treaties to reside and take up employment in any EEA Member State. Non-EEA citizens do not benefit from these rights and do not automatically qualify to compete for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Official Travel (22 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: I wish to advise the Deputy that neither I nor any of the officials of my Department or the bodies under its aegis attended the event in question.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legal Aid (22 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy will be aware, counsel fees were reduced in both 2009 and 2010 respectively as part of a broader Government agenda to reduce escalating legal costs. Further cuts were imposed by the Minister for Justice in 2011 via statutory instrument primarily to control spending under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme. It is worth noting that expenditure on legal aid incurred by the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (22 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Deputy might be interested to know that I already publish two sets of financial data on PPPs. The data can be accessed on the PPP website at www.ppp.gov.ie/ppp-projects. The first set of data provides an update on the existing Financial Commitments for PPPs. This table contains detailed information in relation to all PPP projects for which contracts have been signed and which are...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Reviews (22 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: As part of the annual 2019 Spending Review process, DPER conducted a review of participation and costs associated with Apprenticeships. As the Deputy will be aware from my previous response, the Spending Review process aims to subject key policies and expenditure programmes across the whole of Government to critical assessment in support of the service-wide agenda of evidence-informed policy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (30 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: Would the Deputy pay all the claims?

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ukraine War (29 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: Welcoming and providing humanitarian supports to refugees from Ukraine has been a key priority for Government throughout 2022. A range of supports have been put in place for those arriving in Ireland including the provisions of accommodation, social protection, education and community response supports. To the end of October expenditure of €0.6 billion has been incurred on this...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Contracts (29 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of cleaning services in the Department and cleaning and private security services in the Office of Government Procurement (OGP), which is also part of the Department, is set out in the tables below. With the exception of the OGP, the Department had no costs in respect of private security services. The Deputy may wish to note that as the OGP...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (29 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Croke Park Agreement 2010-2014 was reached with ICTU as well as Gardaí and Defence Force Associations. The Agreement applied to all public servants. Under the Croke Park Agreement, the only distinction that was made between categories of public service workers was at sectoral level. Sectoral agreements were as follows: - Health Sectoral Agreement - Education Sectoral Agreement -...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Websites (29 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: My department is not responsible for the accessibility of other departments’ and public sector bodies’ websites so I cannot give a specific timeline. However we are working to promote and emphasise the importance of accessibility across government. My department continues to work on improving accessibility and we have a number of on-going initiatives in this regard. As...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (29 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy will be aware, as the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I have over-arching responsibility for public service pension policy and hold an approval role for certain pension schemes in the wider public sector. Under the review of, and subsequent extension to the Building Momentum Agreement, as agreed earlier this year, pay increases have been awarded to public servants...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (29 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: The majority of pensioners (approx. 27,000) on off point rates on the Pensions system have now been aligned with PER pay scales and have received both the 2ndFebruary and 1stOctober pay increases. There remains approximately 5,000 pensioners on off point scales which need to be manually reviewed. These pensioners are on a mix of industrial scales and older pay scales that do not align with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (29 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: Delegated sanction is the policy in place across the majority of the public service for the management of public service staffing levels since 2015. It was introduced by the Government to provide Offices and Departments with flexibility to recruit staff at grades up to Principal Officer level in order to meet identified business needs subject to remaining within overall pay ceilings agreed as...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (29 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: Due to the nature of its role, my Department does not provide services directly to the general public. Access to accommodation and buildings shared by my Department and the Department of Finance is provided by an Access Officer (services and buildings) in the Department of Finance. This arrangement and the contact details for the Access Officer are listed in the Customer Action Plan and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Staff (29 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy may be aware, following a security review by Garda Commissioner Harris, it was agreed to provide two Garda drivers to me. I had one Civilian Driver who was replaced by the Garda drivers. Severance/ex gratia arrangements are in place and the option of redeployment to Temporary Clerical Officer is also facilitated. We do not comment on personal payment arrangements or the current...

Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 (Appointment of Registration Body) Order 2022: Referral to Joint Committee (30 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: I move: That the proposal that Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 (Appointment of Registration Body) Order 2022, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 18th November, 2022, be referred to the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and...

Sustainable Energy Act 2002 (section 8(2)) (Conferral of Additional Functions — Energy Efficiency) Order 2022: Referral to Joint Committee (30 Nov 2022)

Michael McGrath: I move: That the proposal that Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Sustainable Energy Act 2002 (section 8(2)) (Conferral of Additional Functions — Energy Efficiency) Order 2022, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 27th September, 2022, be referred to the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, in accordance...