Results 7,741-7,760 of 32,643 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Education Funding (19 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As I stated in the Dáil in my speech on the Estimates 2017, the Government are very conscious of the importance of the higher education sector and the vital role it plays in our society and economy.  We are also conscious of the pressing need to ensure a more sustainable, long-term funding model for the entire Higher and Further Education sector. To that end, I announced...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (19 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Public Procurement is governed by EU and National rules. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers best value for money. The New EU Directives on Procurement are intended to make it easier for businesses and SMEs to tender for public sector procurement contracts.  Specific measures aimed at...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Social Clauses (19 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: In addition to achieving value for money and encouraging SME access to procurement opportunities, the Government is also keen to explore to scope for supporting wider policy objectives including social and environmental clauses in public contracts. Social clauses can be used where they are targeted at factoring into the procurement process consideration of issues such as employment...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (19 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Budget 2017 introduced a package of measures which will increase gross voted expenditure by €1.9bn in 2017 to a total of €58 billion.   As outlined by the Minister of Finance in his Statement to the House on Budget 2017, this is consistent with an expenditure to tax ratio of greater than 3:1 in favour of investment in public services. This exceeds the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Labour Employer Economic Forum (19 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The inaugural meeting of the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF) on the 5th of October was chaired by An Taoiseach and attended by the sponsoring Ministers of Public Expenditure and Reform, Finance and Jobs Enterprise and Innovation with representatives of employers and trade unions. The aim of the LEEF is to provide a forum to discuss areas of shared concern affecting the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (19 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The public service operates a Spouses' and Children's Contributory Pension Scheme.  This provides benefits to Spouses or Children of deceased members. In summary, when a member dies after retirement, a spouse's pension of one-half of the former member's pension is payable.  Dependent children are also entitled to a child's pension of one-third of the spouse's pension for each of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (19 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 to 109, inclusive, and 111 to 114, inclusive, together. Reviewing voted expenditure for the current year, gross voted expenditure of €39,836 million to end-September was €439 million (1.1%) below profile, with gross voted current expenditure €364 million (1.0%) below profile and gross voted capital expenditure €76...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Operations (19 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Moratorium on Public Service Recruitment and Promotion was removed by the previous Government in 2015, and there has been considerable recruitment across many areas of the Public Service since then.  In 2015, Public Service numbers increased by just over 8,500, and up to mid-point this year numbers have increased by a further 4,000.  Also since 2015, Government...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Community Employment Schemes Funding (20 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The issue of pension entitlements for Community Employment Scheme Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors was the subject of a Labour Court recommendation in 2008. The position is that although the employing bodies concerned are mainly funded by public expenditure programmes, the State does not have any role as an employer in this sector and the employees of such bodies are not...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (20 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 161 together. Overtime generally relates to the compensation for extra attendance beyond normal working hours but the term is not defined in the Haddington Road Agreement.However, Sections 2.13 to 2.15 of the Haddington Road Agreement cover the revised arrangements in relation to overtime. Under the terms of the Agreement there is no...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Relations Contracts Data (20 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: In response to the Deputy's question, my Department has not engaged any outside public relations companies for the purposes of disseminating government policy.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (20 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table :- Year Gross Voted Capital Expenditure €,000 Capital as a % of GDP 2000 3,930,452 3.6% 2001 4,975,673 4.1% 2002 5,583,873 4.1% 2003 5,360,805 3.7% 2004 5,204,177 3.3% 2005 5,882,879 3.5% 2006 6,661,045 3.6% 2007 7,819,137 4.0% 2008 9,011,084 4.8% 2009 7,332,611 4.3% 2010 6,384,671 3.8% 2011...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Budget 2017 (20 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As set out on page 36 of the Expenditure Report 2017, there is an estimated carryover impact into 2018 of approximately €½ billion arising from certain of the increases in Departmental expenditure included in the Budget Estimates for 2017. These estimates will be updated as the details in relation to implementation of Budget measures are further developed. The spending review,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Grades (20 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe:  The matter in question relates to issues concerning incremental credit in respect of the starting salaries of Veterinary Inspectors and Research Officers recruited from open competition and who were appointed after 23 December 2010 at the first point of their incremental salary pay scale. It is the position that the  matter will be...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pensions Legislation (25 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: In August, I published the report of the Interdepartmental Group on Fuller Working Lives, which was chaired by my Department. A copy of the report can be found on my Department's website at: . The report identified a set of framework policy principles to underpin an approach to the issue of fuller working lives, based around providing appropriate circumstances to facilitate workers who wish...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Programme for Government (25 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe:  The Programme for Partnership Government provides for the establishment of a Prevention and Early Intervention Unit focused on children and older people within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. A consultation process in relation to the unit underway and an initial work programme for it has been identified. My objective is to establish a Unit which provides...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The assessment of a tenderer's financial and economic standing is a key part of any procurement process because the contracting authority must be reasonably satisfied that a contractor will have the necessary capacity to carry out a contract if the contractor is awarded the contract. Establishing the appropriate suitability criteria that are relevant and appropriate to a particular contract...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The assessment of a tenderer's financial and economic standing is a key part of any procurement process. Establishing the appropriate suitability criteria that are relevant and appropriate to a particular contract is, of course, a matter for the contracting authority concerned. This is because the contracting authority is in the best position to gauge the appropriate levels of financial...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Lansdowne Road Agreement (25 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Service Stability Agreement 2013 to 2018 underpinned by the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act (FEMPI) 2015 made provision for the following measures: Pension Related Deduction (PRD):Exemption threshold changes as follows: - 2015 increase from €15,000 p.a. to €17,500 p.a. - 1 January 2016 increase from €17,500 p.a.to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Functions (25 Oct 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I am interpreting this question as referring to a Delegation of Ministerial Functions Order which is provided for under section 2 (1) of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1977. This provides for the delegation to a Minister of State assigned to the Department of State of which the Minister of the Government has charge statutory powers and duties of such Minister of the...