Results 11,941-11,960 of 32,924 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Expenditure (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As regards the Deputy's first question, as we are currently in mid-January I am not yet in a position to tell the Deputy the net amount that will be left once the underspends in individual Departments are offset against the additional costs to which I referred. However, I expect that the net underspend will be a very small amount of the total €46.27 billion the State spent last year....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Retirements (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 40 together. The Government agreed on 5 December 2017 that the compulsory retirement age of public servants recruited before 1 April 2004 should be increased to age 70. This group of public servants currently has a compulsory retirement age of 65. Primary legislation will be required for the changes to be implemented. In approving the proposals,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Retirements (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for the support he has offered to this policy. To answer his questions, if I did not have interim arrangements in place I would be accused of having announced a policy that is not going to happen. We have to legislate to make it happen. The legislation is being drafted at the moment, and my officials are working as hard as possible to get the work done. Its appearance...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Retirements (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am not sitting on any legislation on this issue. The policy on the minimum retirement age across the entire economy is a matter for either the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Humphreys, or the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty. We are not seeking to incentivise people to make a choice. We are simply recognising the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The high level forum met before Christmas. My officials who were participating in it shared the scoping exercise which was undertaken with the union representatives. It outlines how many people work in the sector, the different costs involved and some of the difficulties. I understand that the unions are considering the matter and that the high level forum will meet again.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The forum will meet again to engage with unions on the matter. 12 o’clock The Deputy is right to say that this matter has been around for quite a while. One of the reasons for that is that it cuts to the heart of a principle regarding who the State does and does not employ. This is a matter that Fianna Fáil grappled with when it was in government many years ago when the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware the allocations for both current and capital expenditure in any given year are set out in the Revised Estimates Volume.  The allocations are discussed by the relevant committee before they are brought back to the Dáil for vote.  I have arranged for the gross and net capital allocations for 2017 to be set out for the Deputy in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware the Government is strongly committed to increasing public funding for capital investment in appropriate regional infrastructure across Ireland over the next four years and beyond in order to meet key requirements in areas such as, for example, housing, transport, broadband, education, health and flood defences. As I announced in Budget...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Tribunals of Inquiry Data (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: In March 2017 the Department of Justice and Equality wrote to my Department seeking sanction for two retired members of An Garda Síochána and one civilian to support the work of the Disclosures Tribunal. It was the view of the Department of Justice and Equality that these resources were required to support the timely completion of the work of the Tribunal and also to minimise...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: School Staff (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy will appreciate that the determination of the allocation of teachers is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, in the first instance. However, based on information provided to my Department by the Department of Education and Skills, I am informed that there is not a teacher shortage but rather a shortage of teachers in some...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware the unwinding of the emergency FEMPI legislation commenced with the Lansdowne Road Agreement 2016-2018 and will be completed under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018 -2020.  The actual pay increases to be carried out are set out in both agreements and the underpinning legislation. The Deputy will recall being a member of the Government that signed the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Expenditure Reviews (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Given the differing purposes and functions of public bodies, each will have its own particular perspective on what constitutes cost-benefit.  In addition, since each Department and agency is a specific legal entity, with its own governance structure and responsibilities, it is therefore the responsibility of that department or agency to undertake a cost benefit analysis in regard to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Services Card (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Services Card (PSC), and its online counterpart MyGovID, is the Government’s standard personal identity verification scheme, and it is core to delivering valuable public services to the people who need them in a secure and efficient manner.  The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is the lead implementation body for the production of the Public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Public Procurement is governed by EU legislation and National rules and guidelines. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers best value for money. The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) has responsibility for developing and setting out the overarching policy framework for public procurement in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Tribunals of Inquiry (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: In March 2017 the Department of Justice and Equality wrote to my Department seeking sanction for two retired members of An Garda Síochána and one civilian to support the work of the Disclosures Tribunal. It was the view of the Department of Justice and Equality that these resources were required to support the timely completion of the work of the Tribunal and also to minimise...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Local Authority Expenditure (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Budgetary allocations in support of both the Lansdowne Road Agreement and the Public Service Stability Agreement have been made to each Department through the estimates process. In the Revised Estimates 2018, some €59.6m was made available to Local Authorities through the Local Government Fund to cover the costs arising from the relevant agreements.       ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As you may be aware, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently finalising the National Development Plan which will act as the cornerstone for the implementation of the new National Planning Framework detailed in the Ireland 2040 plan which sets out a new approach to spatial planning in Ireland. I am confident in saying that these plans will demonstrate that this Government...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Data (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Each year, in accordance with the Disability Act 2005, the Department submits a report highlighting the percentage of staff within the department who have self-declared a disability. This information for all Departments and Offices is collated centrally by the Civil Service HR Policy Division within my Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Expenditure Reviews (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As part of my Estimates speech on Budget day in 2016, I announced that a spending review would take place on a three-year rolling basis. The first cycle of the Spending Review in 2017, which culminated in the publication of over 20 analytical papers on spending review topics, was successfully completed in October last year following the publication...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Gender Balance (18 Jan 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Each Minister is ultimately responsible for appointments to boards under their aegis and must have regard to the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards. Relevant issues relating to the effective operation of each board, including those such as diversity, gender balance and mix of expertise and skill sets are for each Minister to consider. As set out in the Guidelines, compliance...