Results 501-520 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure - Office of Public Works: Discussion with Minister of State (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: No, I am asking about what has generally been lost under the OPW's remit. It has lost a sizeable number of staff and its funding has been reduced massively. Can the Minister of State tell the committee what has been lost as a result of that? Obviously, the OPW has important responsibilities in areas like risk management. What risks are being posed to the country, in the opinion of the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure - Office of Public Works: Discussion with Minister of State (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: Yes, I think we should get the draft budget three months before budget day. I know it would be a big change for us. I thought I would mention it at this juncture.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure - Office of Public Works: Discussion with Minister of State (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: That is what the Deputy and his colleagues do. We do not do that. We just ask for excellence.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure - Office of Public Works: Discussion with Minister of State (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: I asked the Minister of State whether there are any serious risks. I take his point about flood management and welcome what he had to say in that regard. If a new comprehensive expenditure report required the OPW to reduce its numbers by a further 5%, would that present any risks? I guess the Minister of State has outlined one, potentially to heritage buildings, which has a knock-on effect...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: I wish to comment briefly on the process before asking specific questions about the numbers before us and suggesting some ideas for the Minister. I welcome the process as a first step but we have a long way to go in terms of getting figures that are easy to understand and interrogate. This is not a criticism, however, because it was never going to be right on the first attempt. The...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: It was provided to members.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: That is fine.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: Allow me to ask a different question on the same subject. The comprehensive expenditure review for last year identified a net reduction in spending in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform of €69 million between this year and 2013. The revised figure indicates that expenditure will increase by €88 million. What does this additional expenditure entail?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: Would it be possible to provide the committee with a reconciliation of that €88 million figure? It is quite a jump.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: That is exactly what I am asking.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: I do not require the information immediately. I ask that the officials revert to us with a reconciliation.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: My understanding of the purpose of this session, therefore, is different. In the various tables provided, there are identified shortfalls compared with the figures in the comprehensive review of expenditure of €19 million. Were we to continue next year as we are this year and given the ceiling set for next year, the shortfall will be €19 million. Is that distributed across...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: I do not mean to be difficult but why then do we have these figures?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: The figures say the Minister needs to find an additional €19 million in savings. If one adds up everything in column E, additional savings required, one gets €19 million.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: It is the Minister's document.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: The Minister has allocated that amount across the Votes. Is that an estimate or a random distribution?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: Table 1 refers to the Department. If it carries on as per this year, it will cost €62 million to run next year, but the target in the CRE is €39 million, which means the Minister must find €2 million.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: Must the Minister find that or is it just indicative?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: They do not seem like terribly useful numbers in that event. Let me give the Minister a few ideas. My understanding was if we were to examine the Department's Estimates, the Minister would say that to meet his 2013 target, he would need to cut by €2.382 million, that this reduction would be extremely risky for the Department to do and that he was not proposing we do that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure and Reform Vote: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (17 Oct 2012)
Stephen Donnelly: My understanding is the Minister is not offering an opinion on the €2.38 million and whether it should be cut or not.