Results 9,641-9,660 of 9,919 for speaker:Jack Chambers

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (15 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The current living wage, as set out by the Living Wage Technical Group, is €14.75 per hour. In relation to the civil service, for which my Department holds detailed data, €14.75 based on the civil service 35 hour standard net working week equates to an annual salary of approximately €26,938. Detailed data on civil service staff indicates that, on a full time equivalent...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Risk Management (15 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Office of Public Works, as the lead agency for flood risk management, is coordinating the delivery of measures towards meeting the Government’s National Flood Risk Policy. In 2018, the OPW completed the largest study of flood risk ever undertaken by the State: the Catchment-based Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. The CFRAM Programme studied 80% of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (15 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: Former Officeholders, such as those referred to in the PQ, only qualify for a pension if they are no longer a member of the Dáil, Seanad, or European Parliament, and have fulfilled the required criteria to receive such a pension. Pension entitlements for Officeholders (including retired Taoisigh, Tánaistí, Presidents, Ministers and Cinn Comhairle) and TDs are set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes (15 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: In October 2024, the Office of Public Works approved €5.8m in funding for Cork County Council to make Individual Property Protection (IPP) available free of charge to an estimated 923 home and business owners who were impacted by Storm Babet (October 2023) in Midleton (749) and East Cork (174). The Midleton and East Cork IPP Scheme, which is a Cork County Council scheme opened for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Wildlife Protection (15 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: Licenses for firework displays are granted by the Department of Justice as they are the department responsible for licensing the import, storage and the use of fireworks including for public and private displays. My officials have advised me that such a licence was obtained. The Office of Public Works was aware of the firework display and through the park ranger service, monitored the wild...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Weather Events (15 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: In terms of public services, I agree there are real opportunities to exploit satellite and other emerging technologies, in particular for “blue light” services. I have asked my officials to develop options for me in this regard and this work is currently underway.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Strategies (15 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The following national strategies, action plans and other documents that could be described as such are currently in operation and under the remit of my Department:The PEACEPLUS Programme 2021-2027.Partnership Agreement 2021-2027.Interreg North-West Europe 2021-2027.(Interreg VI-B) Atlantic Area.(Interreg VI-B) Northern Periphery and Arctic.Interreg Europe.Interreg VI-C Interact.The Interreg...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Heritage Sites (15 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Office of Public Works (OPW) is engaging with Kildare Innovation Campus (KIC) in respect of a proposed car parking facility for visitors to Castletown House which would be located on KIC lands that adjoin the historic demesne. As the Deputy will be aware, this is a complex issue and the OPW is working with a range of stakeholders to examine the issues relating to this proposal. The...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Radio Spectrum Management (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: I can confirm to the Deputy that there is an existing resilient mission-critical radio network using the TETRA standard already in operation and used for Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) purposes.  This network is operated by Tetra Ireland and is designed to provide a reliable and robust emergency network for the State's emergency personnel with the widest possible coverage....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: Circular 05/2023 sets out that all public procurement tenders, where they have an estimated value above specified national thresholds, must be advertised on the national electronic tendering platform (eTenders). As such, the estimated value of individual public procurement tenders is captured in a central system (eTenders) and available to my Department to report on an aggregated basis, for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: I am informed by the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery that full details of any breaches of the Licence to operate the National Lottery are published in the annual reports of the independent Regulator of the National Lottery, in line with the National Lottery Act 2013. There have been 10 incidences of breaches found between the commencement of the Licence in November 2014 and 1...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: My Department is committed to ensuring that all pension appeals received in accordance with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 16/2020 are thoroughly examined in a fair and impartial manner. The matter referred to is currently under active consideration. A detailed determination explaining the outcome of the pension appeal will be communicated directly to the appellant upon...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Parliamentary Party Allowances (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 615, 616, 617 and 618 together. I propose to respond to Parliamentary Questions 44878/25; 44879/25; 44880/25; and 44930/25 together. Provision for the Parliamentary Activities Allowance is made under the Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Act 1938 as amended, most recently by the Oireachtas (Ministerial & Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Act...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Environmental Policy (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: 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 through the funding of designated environmental projects. A total of €2 billion will be...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Staff (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: Along with other elected and appointed public officials, the special advisers to whom the Deputy refers are subject to, and have a range of obligations under, our national framework for ethics in public life: the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 and the Standards in Public Office Act 2001 (collectively known as the Ethics Acts). Specifically, special advisers are obliged under section 19 of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Staff (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: My Department has published the Public Procurement Guidelines for Goods and Services to provide a comprehensive interpretation of the public procurement regulations, S.I. No. 284/2016 - European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016. These guidelines advise that contracting authorities are required to take appropriate measures to prevent, identify and remedy conflicts...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: As I have stated previously, I am committed to fully and comprehensively addressing and resolving these issues. I appointed Derek Moran, Former Secretary General of the Department of Finance, as chair of the NSSO Advisory Board. At my request, Mr Moran commissioned an external audit. The tender competition is nearing completion, and the successful firm will be named following the formal...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 632, 633, 634 and 635 together. Ireland’s whistleblower protection framework is governed by the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, which was significantly strengthened by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022. This legislation commenced operation on 1 January 2023 and gives effect to the EU Whistleblowing Directive (Directive (EU)...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: School Staff (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: I have overarching responsibility for public service pensions policy.  While I have responsibility for pensions policy for public servants, of whom some are school secretaries and caretakers, I have no responsibility for pensions for those school secretaries and caretakers who are directly employed by school Boards of Management and are not public servants. The...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Environmental Policy (8 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 637 and 638 together. 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 through the funding of designated...