Results 2,421-2,440 of 32,432 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: -----I will remind the Deputy of what he already knows, which is that this is done on a no-policy-change basis.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I will get those figures for the Deputy now and come back to him on them.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: Out of the €4.3 billion of expenditure growth that is anticipated in 2024, approximately €2.5 billion of that is based on ELS.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: Managing spending demands in the context of a surplus, and putting in place public spending plans for next year that can help the vulnerable and at the same time avoid contributing to our economy overheating-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I would like to make a few points about what Deputy Boyd Barrett said. I agree with every word the Minister, Deputy McGrath, just said. Capital expenditure is also recurring. I have noticed a new concept of non-recurring capital expenditure come in over last the week. I have rarely come across examples in which you can decrease capital expenditure easily. It is important to keep in mind...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: If the Deputy bears with me for one moment, I will give him the figures he is looking for. We are in the process of progressing the first payment request for it which is to the value of €395 million out of a total sum of €915 million. To the best of my knowledge - I will be corrected if I am wrong as the meeting goes on - funding has not actually been received but the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for all his questions. I will make just three points in response. The way in which the stability programme update is framed is such that it makes no new policy decisions. If policy decisions were made in the document in front of the Deputy, it would, particularly from my point of view, result in mass negotiation with other Departments that want to secure a claim to...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: We would have to consider the level of enlightenment then.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for his points. I will just deal with the expenditure matters he covered and the Minister for Finance will address some of the broader economic issues he touched on. From a spending point of view, the Government agreed to a number of proposals I brought to Cabinet a few weeks ago trying to make progress on some of the matters he referred to. In particular, we have...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I will leave it at that. I will take the Deputy's point points on board. We have made a number of changes in procurement and in particular to the public spending code to try to deal with the matters he raised. I can conclude my comments at that.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy. As the definition of "core spending" is the day-to-day spending that we expect to continue into the future, existing level of spending, ELS, is part of core spending. It is the part of our spending we can be most certain will recur into the future. That ELS figure is part of the definition of "core spending".

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: That is the case. As we prepare for the summer economic statement, we must be aware that there may be spillover consequences of decisions the Government made last year. Decisions the Government has made this year will spill over into next year. That may further reduce that so-called discretionary figure. The key point the Deputy is making is that a large share of that funding is already...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy. I will make a brief point in response to what she said about ELS. Such funding will still deliver decisions on budget day that are part of the budget day package. To give a concrete example, there are hiring decisions that need to happen in our public service due to demographics, including, for example, the number of teachers. That will lead to the announcement by the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I entirely take the Deputy's point. It is unlikely that the fund will keep on building. The reason I think that is the experience we have had with the Social Insurance Fund, SIF. Once we give a commitment that we are going to spend in a particular area, we honour our commitments even if the SIF goes into deficit. We honour those commitments by moving money into the SIF from general...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I will have to come back to the Deputy on that point. I accept it is an important matter. However, I will have to dig into it further and come back to her with the material relating to it. I am, of course, very happy to take her question and get back to her on it. That is separate to the SPU, which is why I cannot give her an answer this evening. However, I accept it is an important...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for her questions. The Government has put in place an analysis of the impact of the different measures we have brought in and what they mean for disposable income. We have not been able to do that on a geographical basis. Instead, we have done it on income level. Very broadly, those who have the least have benefited the most because they need the most support. Just...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I cannot add to that.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Stability Programme Update: Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (26 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: We have made a decision to support the residency of those who come to our country fleeing a war. Having visited a number of centres in which these poor people are arriving in our country at the moment, I can assure the Deputy of our commitment to continue to do our best by them. The principle of the stability programme update, however, is that it is done on a no-policy-change basis, and we...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Contracts (25 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not engaged the services or awarded any contracts to the organisation in question during the period specified. More generally, the Deputy may wish to note thatmy Department publishes on a regular basis a schedule which lists the details of the consultancy fees, professional fees, legal fees and advisory fees paid since the Department was...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Data (25 Apr 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department made one payment to one of the organisations that is a member of the Environmental Pillar during the period specified. My Department made a payment of €400 to VOICE (Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment) for their services in respect of a recycling workshop held in 2021. With the exception of the Office of Public Works (OPW), no payments have been made by the...