Results 31,641-31,660 of 33,289 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2024: Second Stage (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Senators Davitt, McDowell and Kyne for the points they have raised. Senator Kyne re-emphasised the issues he has concerning Inland Fisheries Ireland, which he has raised persistently in Seanad Éireann. I will again ensure the issues he has raised are passed on to the Minister for agriculture because I am aware that this is an issue with which he has been concerned over many...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2024: Second Stage (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish all Senators good luck. I also acknowledge and thank the staff of the Oireachtas for all the work they do and for their co-operation with me and my office.

Seanad: Appropriations Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: A few moments ago, I thought I had made my final contribution in this Seanad.

Seanad: Appropriations Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Senator has proved me wrong. God knows what the afternoon could yet bring. I was involved with the Moorhead report and with the various decisions we made on councillors' expenses and recognition for the very hard work they do. I will have to come back to the Senator separately on the status of the review of councillors' pensions. I am sure the matter is being dealt with by the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (6 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level. The responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects or sectoral policy strategies, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan (NDP),...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Earcaíocht san Earnáil Phoiblí (6 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Tá poistphoiblí (an tSCP) lántiomanta na dualgais atá acu faoi Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla agus na spriocanna earcaíochta atá ann a bhaint amach. Faoi na spriocanna sin, tá ceangal orainn a chinntiú go mbeidh 20 faoin gcéad, ar a laghad, de na hearcaithe go léir sa tseirbhís phoiblí ina gcainteoirí líofa Gaeilge faoi...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 297 and 304 together. The procedures for Ministerial consent of pension increases in commercial semi state bodies are outlined in the Annex on Remuneration and Superannuation of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, which was introduced by Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 16/2021. The Code of Practice provides that it...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Bodies (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by the Office of the Ombudsman that the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO), established in 2001, is an independent, non-partisan body responsible for overseeing the Ethics in Public Office Acts, the Electoral Act 1997 (as amended), the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Act 2014, and the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015. The Standards...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Data (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 300 and 301 together. Budget 2025 provided for an additional €6.9bn in voted expenditure in 2025. Of this €1.9bn was provided to fund a range of new measures detailed in the Expenditure Report 2025. In setting out the fiscal parameters for Budget 2025, the Summer Economic Statement (SES) also outlined voted expenditure projections for the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the tables below. Grade Number of Vacancies at the End of August 2023 Number of Vacancies at the End of August 2024 A/SEC 0 1 PO 2 0 AP 9 14 HEO 13 14 AO ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The issue outlined in your correspondence regarding when the arrears/rises to the occupational supplementary pension (OSP) will be paid to post 1995 Garda pensioners, is an operational matter for the Garda Pension Section. However, I can confirm that we are in discussions with the Garda Pensions Section in order to provide clarification on the OSP increase policy, in order to ensure that the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. Year Total number of officers on career break Numbers by Grade 2023 26 3 CO 2 EO 10 AO 1 AO* 6 HEO 3 AP 1 PO 2024 24 2 CO 2 EO 11 AO 1 AO* 5 HEO 2 AP 1 AP* *Represents grades on career break for 5 years or more.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I am satisfied that my Department is implementing Circular 4/2013 Career Break Scheme in the Civil Service. The Department facilitates staff returning from Career Break when they wish to return and has no instances where a career break has been extended unnecessarily due to not having an appropriate vacancy.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Correspondence (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that a deferred reply will be issued to him in respect of this Parliamentary Question, in line with Standing Order 51(1)(b).

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Funding (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Act 2024 established the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund (ICN Fund). The purpose of ICN Fund is to support the economy in times of exceptional need and to support Ireland’s transition to a low carbon economy. A total of €2bn will be invested in the Fund each year from 2024 to 2030 building up to an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Funding (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Act 2024 established the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund (ICN Fund). The purpose of ICN Fund is to support the economy in times of exceptional need and to support Ireland’s transition to a low carbon economy. A total of €2bn will be invested in the Fund each year from 2024 to 2030 building up to an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: While my Department has responsibility for setting the terms and conditions of various leave types for civil servants, it is a matter for individual employers to implement the provisions of the relevant circulars/policies accordingly. As outlined in Circular 4/2013, www.gov.ie/en/circular/bd914ab7ff3640c1a46d29b5bef84636/, Civil Servants who avail of a Career break are required to comply...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Equipment (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The numbers of mobile phones issued to staff in my department in 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; and the total costs expended by my Department on handsets and phones bills over the same timeframe are as follows: - 2022 2023 2024 Number of mobile phone issued to staff 68 112 56 Total costs expended on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Funding (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for his question. As he may be aware, my Department 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....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ethics in Public Office (5 Nov 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy points out, we made a commitment in the 2020 Programme for Government to ‘reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office legislation’ and I am happy to inform the House that we have been able to make very significant progress on this agenda. To prepare the ground for this, my Department carried out a comprehensive review of the current legislative framework...