Results 24,101-24,120 of 32,892 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (13 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 197, 200, 203 and 206 together. Budget 2015 marked a key turning point when overall expenditure reductions were not required to meet our key fiscal targets. The improving fiscal conditions have allowed the Government to allocate additional resources towards emerging expenditure needs with prudent increases in gross voted expenditure of 3% on average in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Reform Implementation (13 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Public Service Reform continues to be a key feature of my Department's policy. Considerable progress has been made since the first Public Service Reform Plan was published in 2011. We are now moving from a stage of reform to one of development and continuous improvement which will cover the period 2017-2020. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (13 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 199 and 204 together. Both current and capital expenditure levels for 2017 were published in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2017. All Departments have subsequently provided profiles for how this expenditure will be allocated across the year.  As of March the Exchequer Returns indicate that spend is largely on target so far in 2017. ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (13 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 201 and 202 together. As the Deputy is aware, I am obliged under the legislation to undertake an Annual Review of the operation and effectiveness of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts (FEMPI) which is laid before the Oireachtas by the end of June each year. In doing so I must have "regard to the overall...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (13 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Procurement reform is a key element of the Government's overall reform programme and is aimed at delivering increased value for money, more accurate and timely data and improvements in the capacity and capability of the procurement function across the public service and supporting increased compliance. The fragmented procurement arrangements across the public service which existed prior to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information (13 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Freedom of Information Act 2014 at section 11 provides for a right of access to information as follows: "Subject to this Act, every person has a right to and shall, on request therefore, be offered access to any record held by an FOI body and the right so conferred is referred to in this Act as the right of access" The Act provides for the refusal of access to information only in certain...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Measures (13 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Sector Standards Bill 2015  aims to significantly enhance the existing framework for identifying, disclosing and managing conflicts of interest and minimising corruption risks, to achieve a shift towards a more dynamic and risk-based system of compliance and to ensure that the institutional framework for oversight, investigation and enforcement is robust and effective. This...

Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (12 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Which I am privileged to represent.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Expenditure Reviews (12 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Work on the 2017 Spending Review began earlier this year, in January. The approach taken to this review differs from the Comprehensive Spending Reviews undertaken in 2011 and 2014 in that it does not cover total Government expenditure in a single year. The 2011 and 2014 reviews were conducted at a time when Ireland was about to enter, or already in an Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP)...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information (12 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Freedom of Information Act 2014 provides a very broad definition of public bodies at Section 6(1) and further provides that all new public bodies comprehended by this definition will automatically come under freedom of information (FOI) legislation, unless specifically exempted by order. This reversed the system under previous legislation whereby new bodies would have to be brought into...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (12 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I believe that the Deputy is referring to those public service pensions which have been awarded in respect of retirements up to end-February 2012, and whose value before the application of the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) is marginally greater than €34,132. Such pensions will remain subject to PSPR when the three-stage part-reversal of PSPR provided...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme (11 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The particular organisation referred to by the Deputy is not registered as a political organisation on the current register of political parties in Ireland. It is therefore considered that no issue arises under the civil service conciliation and arbitration scheme in relation to the matter raised by the Deputy in respect of the civil service trade union concerned.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Industrial Relations (11 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: In terms of access to the State's dispute resolution machinery, the Workplace Relations Commission and related institutions provide advice and assistance on industrial relations matters in the workplace to employers, employees and their representatives. There is no legislative provision for access to third-party adjudication in respect of pension entitlements for recipients of public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (11 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Civil Service Regulation Act 1956 is the key legislative basis for established positions in the civil service. It defines an established position as "a position in which established service is rendered".  Established service is defined in the same Act as "service in a capacity in respect of which a superannuation allowance may be granted under the Superannuation Acts, 1834 to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Retirements (11 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware, an interdepartmental working group, chaired by my Department, was established early in 2016 to examine the issues arising from prevailing retirement ages for workers in both the public and private sectors, in the context of the current age of entitlement to the state pension and the scheduled increases to the state pension age in 2021 and 2028. The group, whose report...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Workplace Relations Services Data (11 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: It is the position that my Department was not approached by public bodies directly under its aegis in relation to adjudications or findings arising from the Workplace Relations Commission in respect of the period in question.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Inniúlacht sa Ghaeilge sa Státseirbhís (11 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Molaim Ceisteanna Uimh. 443 go 445, cuimsitheach, a fhreagairt le chéile. Tabharfaidh mé freagra ar na ceisteanna seo ón Teachta mar gheall ar an státseirbhís. Tá Airí éagsúla freagrach as na réimsí eile sa tseirbhís phoiblí. Is maith is eol dom na moltaí atá déanta ag an gCoimisinéir Teanga mar...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (11 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question no. 10500/17 on 2 March 2017.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I take Deputy Calleary's point that it is open to any Deputy on Report Stage to table amendments. We shared all of our amendments with the Bills Office last Thursday in advance of the deadline for this session. However, I apologise if members feel that they have not had enough time to consider them. If any Deputy wishes to amend the Bill on Report Stage, we will consider anything put...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Public Sector Standards Bill 2015: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Of course. I can kick off with a few lines on each part of the Bill, starting with section 1. Is that how the Chairman would like me to proceed?