Results 22,721-22,740 of 32,960 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme Review (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: It will be published in December. As I have answered a number of questions on the matter already, I emphasise, briefly, that it will look at how we can have levels of public capital investment that will better sustain the long-term growth of our economy and society. It will look at ensuring we have the right levels of investment to deal with the changing demographic profile of our society....

Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme Review (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I said it would be published in December.

Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme Review (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Department of Health is, of course, pressing the case, as are other Departments, for more funding. I make the point which the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, has also made that the level of funding now available to the Department of Health is at the highest it has ever been in the history of the State. While the Deputy points to needs to which we must respond, including...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed - Priority Questions: Public Services Card (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I appreciate the Deputy's acknowledgment of the merits to the public services card and the approach that underpins it. On the specific questions the Deputy has asked around the use of data, any sharing of data between public bodies has to be consistent with the guidance from the Data Protection Commissioner. The commissioner has raised a number of matters on the operation of the card and I...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed - Priority Questions: Public Services Card (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I do not see how I could be making the case for the Deputy that there is no faith in this project, given that I pointed to the fact that 2.3 million individuals have this card and the roll-out of the card has to be compliant with current law on data protection. I said that very clearly. The data sharing and governance Bill is legislation that has been before the Oireachtas for some time....

Other Questions: Living Wage Introduction (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection is responsible for setting the national minimum wage, on the recommendation of the Low Pay Commission. The current minimum wage is set at €9.25 and the third report of the Low Pay Commission recommended that this be increased by 30 cent per hour. The Government welcomed that recommendation. We...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed - Priority Questions: Public Services Card (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The public services card and, importantly, its underpinning registration process are about providing people with public services in a safe and efficient manner. The underpinning registration process, which is called SAFE 2, involves a 15-minute visit to an INTREO office and is done just once. This process is used to establish a person's identity to a substantial level of assurance. This...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I will not read out to Deputy Doherty the answer I have just shared with Deputy Calleary. I will just answer the specific question the former has put to me. I have already identified that we will seek to make a further €500 million available in 2019, 2020 and 2021 as part of the summer economic statement. This will take the additional amount of new capital we will be allocating...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: When I use a word or phrase such as "infrastructure", I always accompany it with an acknowledgement that we are talking about homes, schools and the overhaul of facilities that in many cases do not meet the needs of our citizens. I am crystal clear that behind technical phrases such as "public capital expenditure" and "where we are as a percentage of national income" is the reality that we...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I am acting in the best interests of citizens. What always motivates me, as I am sure is the case with the Deputy, is what the long-term best thing is for our country. The only reason I put the kind of focus I do on economic indicators such as where we are with bond yields, interest rates and so on is to give our country the chance to try to create the resources to deal with the kind of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme Review (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy is aware, as acknowledged, I published the review of the capital plan on 14 September and a copy of the report was made available to each Deputy on that day. The review of the plan draws on an evidence base that included submissions by Departments and offices, an extensive public consultation and an infrastructure capacity and demand analysis completed by the Irish Government...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme Review (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Regarding the Deputy's first question, the Minister, Deputy Murphy, and I aim to publish the ten-year plan in December. Regarding his second point on broadband, the role of my Department has been purely confined to making sure there is enough of a capital allocation to support the tendering process. Any decisions regarding who is tendering for it and the implementation of that process is...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme Review (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Regarding the first question, I am absolutely responsible for the allocation of capital funding and making sure it is spent in the way that is agreed with other Departments. In regard to the policy area for the roll-out of the broadband process, all issues and decisions relating to tendering are a matter for the Minister, Deputy Naughten, although I support and work with him in any way he...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Expenditure (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The pay and pensions of public servants including members of the Oireachtas were significantly reduced by a series of Financial Emergency Acts.  The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Acts, including the FEMPI 2010 Act which imposed the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) on public servants in receipt of public service pensions, owe their constitutional...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Spending Code (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Spending Codeis the set of rules and procedures that apply to ensure that value for moneystandards are maintained across the public service. The Code draws together the long-established elements of value for moneyarrangements that have been in place and validated over many years. The objective of the Code is to seek to ensure that the State achieves value for money in all areas of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, open publicly advertised competition is a key principle of senior level appointments to posts across the public service reflecting the Government's commitment to ensure that such posts, which are central to the effective performance of our system of public administration, are filled by high-calibre candidates.  In my area of direct...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The provision for Public Service staffing numbers in 2017 is just under 315,000 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs). This represents an increase of over 8,000 or 2.7% on the 2016 outturn and an increase of over 25,000 or nearly 10% on 2014. The corresponding provision for the Exchequer pay bill in 2017 is €16.47 billion. This is an increase of approximately €850 million on the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The enforcement of tax, social welfare, and employment legislation; health and safety, and building control regulations etc. apply equally to public and private sector contracts. Consequently, it is not for me as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to set out a separate policy for public sector contracts.  It is the responsibility of each contracting authority to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Brexit Expenditure (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Planning for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU poses a significant challenge, particularly given that the precise nature of the relationship that will exist between the UK and the EU is yet to be agreed. The impact of Brexit will depend on the outcome of the complex negotiations that are currently taking place. However, Ireland’s economy is in a strong position to deal with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme Review (26 Sep 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The 2017 Spending Review is the first in a series of rolling, selective reviews, which will cover the totality of Government spending over a three year period to 2019. Work on the Spending Review began in January of this year and concluded in July, when I published the output of the Spending Review alongside the Mid-Year Expenditure Report. The papers prepared for the Spending Review cover...