Results 9,741-9,760 of 34,866 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments (23 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: 138. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the Housing Assistance Payment will be implemented in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32349/15]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (30 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: The chairman of the OPW and her colleagues are very welcome. This is an unusual meeting for us, in that it is not the normal type of discussion we have. It is focused on a much more principled-based approach to issues we do not normally engage with here. I wish to again confirm with Ms McGrath the point the Chairman asked her. She said in her opening statement that she is open to applying...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (30 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: I am pleased to hear that. Ms McGrath is essentially saying that with the nature of some projects being such that the work involves takes a few years, progress on such projects cannot be completed for a few years until she has the final outcome.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (30 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: Ms McGrath is doing so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (30 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: Moving away from the script because it is a little theoretical, in layman's or laywomen's English, if Ms McGrath was to set out in her own words, rather than reading from a script, how would she describe the difference she would see in such a process? Normally our Estimates are based on the level of activity and inputs, whereas now we want to know if we are getting a bang for our buck; we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (30 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: Would it be more difficult in aspects of your work to judge the output? For example, we can all see it in the flood risk, in some of the building, the schools, with the square footage per student or whatever the case may be. With issues like maintenance, which the OPW does a lot of, it is not very visible at the end of a year, or two or three years, what was and was not done. Where would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (30 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: What would the international comparisons be?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (30 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: I will be brief. Listening to this - and this is no criticism, as it is a big job - I can conclude that there is a decade in that. First the data has to be recorded, then the evidence will have to be produced from the data, and when all that is done, standards will have to be drawn up. Each of those, in the Irish way of doing business, will take a few years. If that was to go ahead, it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (30 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: Moving on to a more difficult area, flood risk management, all of what Ms McGrath mentioned is in some way under somebody's control, but with flood risk management and flood defence work the OPW can spend X amount of money, build X number of walls, redirect rivers and so on. It can see what can be done, which is the output, but the difference between outputs and outcome might take a long...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (30 Sep 2015)

Seán Fleming: I am pleased to hear that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Budget Targets (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: 1. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the way in which European Union and national expenditure rules will impact on budget 2016, and the public finances generally; if he expects any amendment to how these rules will be applied in practice; if he will confirm that Ireland will stay within budgetary provisions in 2015 and in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Budget Targets (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: I wish to ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the way in which European Union and national expenditure rules will impact on budget 2016 and the public finances generally, if he expects any amendment to how these rules will be applied in practice and if he will confirm that Ireland will stay within budgetary provisions in 2015 and 2016.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Budget Targets (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: I thank the Minister for his reply. I just want to ask one or two specific questions. We understand what the Minister is saying about the move from the corrective arm to the preventive arm. With regard to the target, we are expected to be at 2.3% this year. The Minister did not tell us what level of reduction will be required for 2016. I think we have to make a reduction of the order of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Budget Targets (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: The Minister might tell the House when the ten-year rule was changed to become a three-year rule. This change has fundamental implications for the forthcoming budget because a ten-year horizon would cover many years in which negative growth figures were recorded.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Budget Targets (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: We have had significant and strong growth from a relatively low base in the past couple of years. This percentage increase based on a three-year horizon is phenomenal. One would hope that the Government does not intend to use that short-term figure excessively to increase expenditure at an enormous rate and thereby add fuel to an economy that is growing. The Minister might tell us when...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Government Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: 3. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a projection of the Supplementary Estimates in respect of overall Government expenditure that will be required in 2015, notwithstanding that the final confirmation of supplementary expenditure is not yet available; if these details will be provided in advance of budget 2016; the way in which the supplementary...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Government Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: I ask the Minister to provide a projection of the Supplementary Estimates in respect of the overall Government expenditure that will be required this year. While I accept that the full details are not available at this stage, I ask him to provide an estimate given that indicative figures are already available in some Departments. If he does not have figures available today, will he have...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Government Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: To summarise the Minister's response, the House will be given a close estimate of the final outturn of expenditure on budget day. This will include possible Supplementary Estimates, although the figure will not be precise.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Government Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: If the budget for 2016 is based on the outturn for 2015, the Minister must have a reasonable indication of the 2015 outturn figure. It is possible that no Supplementary Estimates will be introduced. Does this mean the budget will be based on figures in respect of the outturn of expenditure in 2015? If so, will this figure be held back from the Dáil or will this information be shared...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Government Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Seán Fleming: If the expenditure is for good purposes, this side of the House will not argue against it. However, as my party's spokesperson on public expenditure, my objective today is to discuss the budgetary process with the Minister. He confirmed that a minimum of €250 million in Supplementary Estimates will be required for the three items of expenditure to which he referred. Further...