Results 25,441-25,460 of 32,924 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: There are other considerations apart from economics. If we consider the public housing projects that are under way, it is my view and that of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and of many parties in the House - I believe it is likely to be the view of Dublin City Council - that if we are delivering significant urban regeneration projects, we should have mixed tenure on them. We should have...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I do not think so.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Yes, there is. The National Transport Authority has published a greater Dublin transport strategy, which outlines various projects it believes need to be delivered to address the matters to which the Deputy referred. He mentioned in particular how we can introduce shorter travel times between Dublin city, County Dublin and adjacent counties. The NTA wants to electrify the existing...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As regards outstanding capital projects and requirements that need to be met, housing is crucial. This is why we have already chosen to allocate to housing so many of the resources the State might have available to it over the next five years. Of the €5 billion in the fiscal space that is available for capital expenditure, we have committed over €2 billion to building homes....

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: No decision has been reached by the Government on the first-time buyers grant. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, will bring forward a proposal on this. He shares the view that if we bring forward an initiative in the area, it is very important that it contributes to supply because we need more homes to be built. We know the views of the Commission on water charges. We know the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: There are not, but it is a matter of which I am very much aware. There is forestry and more greenery than is commonly attributed to it.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I absolutely appreciate the importance of agriculture and food production to our society and economy. I have met the IFA, and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, has raised these matters with me. The normal challenges faced by farmers are exacerbated by price and income volatility, the potential early consequences of Brexit and the farmers' needs for new...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: With regard to the effect of demographics on our ability to recruit, in my opening contribution I referred to the fact that we are now recruiting for all front-line services. In some areas we are back to where we were pre-crisis and we are beginning to make progress in others. We expect to need to hire 648 more teachers to deal with the effect of demographics on our schools. We have the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I understand the genuine difficulty people face when the buses are not running. It is a huge problem, not only for those trying to get to work but, to agree with Deputy Burton, for elderly members of our community who are trying to go about their daily lives, get to appointments and so on. The challenge they face is a very big problem. Not to make a flippant point on a difficult issue,...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Absolutely.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I am not envisaging, nor will I be, any further changes in either public service pay levels or the public service pension reduction, PSPR, in budget 2017 on top of what has already been agreed as part of the Lansdowne Road agreement.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Current and Capital Expenditure: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (21 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I have a graph in front of me but if I try to interpret it, I may give the Deputy the wrong answer. We will get the answer for him, but they are new people who came in.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Disability Act Employment Targets (16 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 sets out the legal obligations of public service bodies as follows: - To promote and support the employment of people with disabilities - To comply with any statutory Code of Practice - To meet a target of 3% of employees with disabilities - To report every year on achievement of these obligations In its latest published report...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Private Partnerships (16 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Spending Code requires that a post project review be carried out for all major projects, including PPPs, once sufficient time has elapsed to allow the project to be properly evaluated with sufficient evidence of the flow of benefits/cost from it. A post project review aims to draw lessons for the future and, therefore, as required under the Public Spending Code, any significant...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Garda Remuneration (16 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: In response to the Deputy's question, having clarified that the Deputy was enquiring about Garda pensions specifically, the Payroll Shared Service Centre has confirmed that no changes have been made to the date or day of payment of Garda pensions. These payments have always been on the first working day of the month.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (16 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: People employed through recruitment agencies or on short term contracts may be covered by the Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012 Act or the Protection of Employees (Fixed Term Workers) Act 2003. As the Deputy will be aware, both of these Acts apply the principle of equal treatment in terms of basic working and employment conditions for agency and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (16 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will appreciate, I am not in a position to answer on behalf of the EU in relation to the availability of EU funding as a consequence of the UK referendum on EU membership. I can assure him, however, of the Irish Government's continuing commitment to the successful implementation of the PEACE and INTERREG Programmes, and my officials and I are working to that end.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (16 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Public Procurement is governed by EU and National rules and guidelines. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers best value for money. EU Directives on public procurement require that public works, supplies and service contracts above certain thresholds must be advertised on the Official Journal of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (16 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Common Provisions 1303/2013 for ESIF funding for 2014-2020, which provided for e Cohesion, entered into force on 20/12/2013. While the Regulation provides for the implementation of the system by 31 December 2015, the deadline for a first claim under the European Regional Development Fund, for which my Department has responsibility, is 31 December 2017. I am confident that the e Cohesion...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (16 Sep 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I have no plans to review the Spouses' and Children's Pension Payment at the present time.