Results 29,721-29,740 of 33,280 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information (18 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to address the review of the Freedom of Information Act. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the work that has already been put in to this project by Minister McGrath.  Under his guidance, an update setting out the current position in the review was brought to Government, and subsequently issued to stakeholders and published late last...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (18 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, as the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I have overarching responsibility for public service pension increase policy. For this group of retirees, pension increase policy is agreed until the end of this year, as part of the extension to the Building Momentum Agreement enacted in 2022. I also hold an approval role for certain pension schemes in the wider...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Communications (18 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that the briefing document provided to me by my Department following my appointment has been published on the Department's website and is available at this link - www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/a55f9-incoming-minist ers-brief-2022/. The published version has regard to the relevant provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ethics in Public Office (18 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I am happy to inform the Deputy that the Review to which her question refers has been completed and a report was submitted to Government by my predecessor Minister McGrath in December. The Government approved the publication of the Review Report and agreed to the preparation of a General Legislative Scheme informed by the Review's outcome. The draft legislative scheme will be prepared in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery (18 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: The National Lottery is a significant asset which plays an important role in generating funds for Good Causes throughout Ireland and across a range of areas including sport and recreation, culture and heritage, community health, the arts, and youth affairs. The National Lottery Fund transferred €289m to the Exchequer in 2021 which represents a significant 14% increase on 2020 and is a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (18 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: Generally, issues such as pension increases are matters for consideration of the sectoral Minister in the first instance and take into account the application of scheme rules as well as the overall sustainability of pension funds. Section 10 of the Eircom scheme rules specifies that discretionary pension increases may be authorised by the Minister for Environment, Climate and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (18 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: Due to Data Protection the NSSO cannot comment in public on an individual’s personal pension entitlements. However, a full response has been just issued directly to the applicant advising them in regard to this pension query.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ethics in Public Office (24 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I am happy to inform the Deputy that the review to which his question refers has been completed and a report on it was submitted to Government by my predecessor, Minister McGrath, in December. The Government approved the Review Report‘s publication and agreed to the preparation of a General Legislative Scheme to reform the legislation informed by the review's outcome. On foot of this,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies (24 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) is funded as part of the Vote for the Office of the Ombudsman (Vote 19). The activities of SIPO represent one of the programmes making up the overall Vote (the others are: Ombudsman, Commission for Public Service Appointments, Office of the Protected Disclosures Commission, Office of the Information Commissioner, Commissioner for Environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies (24 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) is funded as part of the Vote for the Office of the Ombudsman (Vote 19). The activities of SIPO represent one of the programmes making up the overall Vote (the others are: Ombudsman, Commission for Public Service Appointments, Office of the Protected Disclosures Commission, Office of the Information Commissioner, Commissioner for Environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Funding (24 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department previously provided grant funding to Benefacts between the period 2015-2022. The project was funded as a pathfinder initiative in the area of data analytics on the non-profit sector. Benefacts was initially co-funded with philanthropy, however, in recent years the Department had been providing the majority of funding to the entity. In 2019, the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (24 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: Additional Superannuation Contribution (ASC) is provided for under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 (No. 34 of 2017) - the “2017 Act” and is a statutory deduction. ASC is chargeable on pensionable remuneration of pensionable public servants and different rates apply depending on whether a public servant is a member of a standard accrual pension scheme, a fast accrual...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (24 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: The terms and conditions of Adult Education Tutors employed by Education and Training Boards are a matter in the first instance for both the Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The particular matters raised in the proposals are complex and raise significant policy, legal and exchequer cost issues which are being...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Business Supports (24 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that there were no measures of the nature specified provided by my Department to businesses from 2020 to 2022.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (25 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: You will be aware that my department currently governs the Civil Service Mobility scheme which offers an opportunity for general service staff members to apply for Mobility (i.e. transfer) through an open and transparent system. This is the only scheme that offers permanent moves across the Civil Service. The Mobility system is administered through the HR Shared Services, National Shared...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ethics in Public Office (25 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy may be aware, my Department has just completed a review of ethics legislation and a report on this was submitted to Government by my predecessor, Minister McGrath, in December. The Government approved the Review Report‘s publication and agreed to the preparation of a General Legislative Scheme to reform the legislation informed by the review's outcome. On foot of this, a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (26 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy may be aware, transfers of pensionable service between pre-existing public service pension schemes is generally facilitated through the Public Sector Transfer Network (PSTN) and is subject to a set of rules and eligibility criteria, primarily set out in Department of Finance Letter to Personnel Officers 24 April 1979 ‘Draft Transfer Scheme’. One such...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Recycling Policy (31 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I, as Minister for Public and Expenditure and Reform have no function in relation to the operation of the deposit return scheme. However, I am advised by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, to whom this question is appropriate, as follows. In keeping with our Programme for Government commitment, the Government is introducing a deposit return scheme in Ireland in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: Special Advisers to Ministers and Ministers of State may be appointed by Government in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997. The details requested are shown in the following table. Minister Special Adviser Special Adviser Salary Paschal Donohoe Deborah Sweeney €114,347 ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Official Travel (31 Jan 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: In January 2020, I as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform introduced mandatory new procedures for all Departments and agencies for offsetting the emissions associated with official air travel. In line with these procedures each Department and agency records the carbon emissions associated with all official air travel, values these emissions based on the prevailing rates of...