Results 24,381-24,400 of 32,924 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (5 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Posts in the Irish Civil Service are generally open to suitably qualified candidates who are nationals of an EU Member State, including Ireland, or the European Economic Area (EEA).  Such individuals have the right under the EU Treaties to reside and take up employment in any EEA Member State.  Non-EEA citizens do not benefit from these rights and do not...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Bodies Expenditure (5 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: There are robust and well established transparent financial reporting requirements across Government Departments and Offices which also apply to An Garda Síochána.  The accounting rules, principles and procedures for Government Departments and Offices are set out in Public Financial Procedures and relevant Circulars issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (4 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Capital Plan, published in 2015, set out a six year framework for substantial infrastructural investment in Ireland out to 2021. Total state backed investment under the Plan amounted to €42 billion over the period. The substantial progress made in securing sustained economic growth and the further strengthening of the public finances has enabled the Government to commit an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Remit (4 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Freedom of Information Act 2014 extended the remit of the legislation to a further 70 public bodies, bringing the overall total to some 600 bodies comprehended by the Act. The Act 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)...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Information (4 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: In response to the Deputy's question, my Department has not received any requests for material to be made available in braille format in each of the years 2014 to 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (4 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question no. 2701/17 on 24 January 2017.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Government Procurement (4 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 420 and 421 together. Procurement is a key element of the Government's Reform agenda. Given the volume of spending, in the order of €12bn per annum on goods, services and works, it is essential that a strategic approach is adopted and value for money is achieved. The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) was established to drive the reform...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Legal Cases Data (4 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised that there has been one ex-parte application relating to the OGP as part of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform but no other cases. No costs have been incurred in relation to this matter. The Commissioners of Public Works were involved in two cases predating the establishment of the OGP which the OGP, as the successor organisation with responsibility for those...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (4 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: As part of the review of the Capital Plan, which is currently in train, my Department wrote to all Departments in January inviting submissions, to include, inter alia, proposals for reprioritisation within existing allocations to reflect developments or changes in priorities since the Plan was published in 2015 and any new proposals to utilise the additional...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Regulation of Lobbying (4 Apr 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Section 2 of The Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 provides for a review of the operation of the Act and for a report of the findings resulting from the review and of the conclusions drawn from those findings to be made. The purpose of this review is to evaluate if the legislation has met its objectives of providing appropriate transparency on "who is lobbying whom about what"; drawing on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Legislation (30 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Freedom of Information Act 2014 extended the remit of the legislation to a further 70 public bodies, bringing the overall total to some 600 bodies comprehended by the Act.  The Act 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...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (30 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The High Level Forum recently  reconvened under a new Chair and arrangements have been made for this body to meet again at an early date. The issue of pensions for Community Employment Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors whose employment status is that of private sector employees is being deliberated on between the parties involved in the Forum.

Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy is asking me for many guarantees I cannot actually give. The reason is that the Bill is now moving into the Seanad. Obviously, the enactment to which the Deputy is referring is dependent on the Bill passing successfully through the Seanad. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, is very much aware of the importance of that Bill. I am...

Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I assure the Deputy that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and his Department have already been on to my Department. They are already engaging with my Department on what they believe to be the future capital needs of our public and land transport network. I imagine the review to which the Deputy is referring will be affected by the industrial relations dispute that is currently...

Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I am not in a position to update the Deputy on the status of an individual post. I can say, however, that the Government, including the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, is very committed to trying to recruit more speech and language therapists. I do not want the development of our youngest children to be affected by an inability to gain access to speech and language therapy, in...

Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I am very much aware of the importance of lottery funding and the role it has played in supporting small projects and initiatives across our State. I will engage in the matter myself and seek to understand further the issue to which the Deputy is referring. I will revert to him on the matter.

Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Seán Kyne, shall respond to this. He is leading the Government in this area.

Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government and Irish farmers are absolutely committed to high standards in food production, ensuring that consumers have confidence in food, as well as ensuring that people who seek to buy that food will have confidence in it, particularly if they are abroad. No trade agreements to which the Government is a party or which it might enter into will be allowed to undermine that confidence.

Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The rationale for the amalgamation is that the Government believes that there is expertise residing in both organisations that could be more effectively used to deal with issues, particularly with regard to consumer confidence, if both organisations are brought together. Regarding the timing, I understand that the Bill will be before the House during this session.

Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Mar 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: First, no proposal has been brought by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, to Cabinet on changes to the television licence and how that revenue could be collected. We acknowledge how important the television licence is for the funding of our public service broadcaster. Clearly, were any changes to be made to the licence in the future, we would...