Results 24,461-24,480 of 33,392 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Retirements (25 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: 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 was agreed by...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (24 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The High Level Working Group on the Community Sector was established to give consideration, inter alia, to the matters raised by the Deputy.  The Group last met on 7 April and was briefed on a comprehensive scoping exercise that will get underway over the coming months. The position has always been that FÁS or the Department of Social Protection is not the employer and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Appointments Service (23 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Appointments Service (PAS) undertakes recruitment and resourcing services across the civil and wider public service as provided for under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004. The posts that come directly under the remit of the PAS under the Act include all civil service positions (with a few listed exceptions), certain posts in An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (23 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The authorities responsible for the administration and oversight of the large number of pension schemes operating in the various sectors of the Irish public service are, in general, the relevant employers and Ministers in those sectors. It would be a matter for those sectorial authorities, including relevant Ministers, to supply such information as may be available in respect of employee...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Secret Service (23 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The following table shows the Secret Service Vote estimate and end of year surplus as set out in the Appropriation Accounts 2012 to 2015. The figure for 2016 is the provisional outturn, based on the expenditure amounts notified to this Department: Year Estimate  Surplus for Surrender to the Exchequer €000  €000  2012 1000  485 2013 1000  413...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (23 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 23511/17 on 17 May 2017.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (23 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The High Level Working Group on the Community Sector was established to give consideration, inter alia, to the matters raised by the Deputy.  The Group last met on 7 April and was briefed on a comprehensive scoping exercise that will get underway over the coming months. The position has always been that FÁS or the Department of Social Protection is not the employer and...

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Pat Breen, to deal with the issue raised by Deputy Maurice Quinlivan. I will pass on to the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, the concerns of Deputy Seán Haughey. As the Deputy acknowledges, the Minister has indicated that he wants to see if the payment can be released in such a way as to avoid disqualifying recipients from receiving other...

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I believe it will be published before the summer, as indicated by the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney. Given the importance of the issue, like any piece of Government business, the legislation will not be affected by any debate that may take place within my party.

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: Like the Deputy, I acknowledge the needs of those who need a respite care service and the pressure they are under, but I am not in a position to update the Deputy on the supply of funding for a particular centre. If he raises the matter directly with the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, in a Topical Issue debate and so on, I know that he will respond. I will let the Minister of...

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: It is a very important Bill which has reached Committee Stage in the Seanad. The Government is committed to enacting it as soon as possible.

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Michael Creed, is very much aware of the importance of this issue because the payments are needed. Farmers and their families are entitled to them. There is, however, a difficulty in making them within the correct timeline. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine wants to resolve the matter. Now that the Deputy has...

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister, Deputy Varadkar, is undertaking such a review. I cannot indicate to the Deputy when that report will be completed but I will ensure she is given this information.

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: We have not destroyed community initiative. We are not looking in any way to frustrate the work of communities in responding to their challenges, in particular in the rural context to which the Deputy refers. That is the reason the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has an action plan on the development of rural Ireland to which every Department is committed, and in which we are making progress....

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, is dealing with this matter and I will ask him to respond to the Deputy.

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for his comments relating to the Taoiseach and his family. I am a bit confused by the attitude of Fianna Fáil towards budgetary policy because on the one hand Deputy Michael McGrath is continually asking me to make sure we have no plans to bring in a supplementary budget but the Deputy is now asking me if we have such plans. We have plans in place to deal with Brexit...

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I acknowledge the open mind that the Deputy has demonstrated with regard to this report and what we are looking to do, including the support she has offered to date, although I know that is qualified. The Deputy, her party and its councillors have looked to engage in this progress and project. The Deputy asked whether the Taoiseach will seek to meet representatives of the community...

Questions on Promised Legislation (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Deputy Howlin for his comments about the Taoiseach and his words yesterday. I am aware of the report and announcement made by GLEN on its status, specifically the decision it has made to pursue an orderly winding up of its activities. I also acknowledge the contribution it has made to social progress in our country and the way in which it looked to progress an agenda that we all now...

Leaders' Questions (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I am not sure if the Deputy welcomes the fact that we are now seeking to do more to tackle those who abuse the system that is meant to support those who are in need.

Leaders' Questions (18 May 2017)

Paschal Donohoe: I am not sure if the Deputy supports the fact that the number of reports of social welfare fraud has doubled since that campaign was launched. He is wrong to even infer that this Government, this party or any of those who are associated with it do not take seriously the issue of fraud in all its different manifestations. It all needs to be tackled. The Government is committed to doing...