Results 25,661-25,680 of 32,924 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: UK Referendum on EU Membership (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 372, 373, 375 and 376 together. Following the outcome of the UK Referendum on EU membership, the Irish Government has been clear that it remains committed to the successful implementation of the EU funded PEACE and INTERREG programmes.  The programmes are not only an important source of funding, but provide a visible demonstration of the European...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Institutes of Technology (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy will appreciate that a very important consideration in considering the scope for independent borrowing by institutions in the higher education sector is whether that borrowing is categorised as falling within the General Government sector or not. Universities have traditionally had autonomous borrowing powers as they are classified as outside General Government....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Disability Act Employment Targets (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The civil and public service is an equal opportunities employer and all recruitment campaigns are conducted in strict compliance with the Codes of Practice set out by the Commission for Public Service Appointments. Codes include the Code of Practice governing the External and Internal Appointments of Persons with Disabilities to Positions in the Irish Civil Service and Certain Public Bodies,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Disability Act Employment Targets (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 sets a 3% target for the employment of people with disabilities in the Public Service. This is monitored on an annual basis by the National Disability Authority (NDA).  The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is responsible for reporting to the NDA on the Civil Service position regarding this target. In...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Recruitment to the Office of the Ombudsman is not restricted to existing civil servants. Generally speaking, recruitment to Clerical and Executive Officer grades has been from general panels established by the Public Appointments Service, which in turn have been formed by means of either open public competition or confined civil service promotion competitions. In relation to recruitment...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ombudsman's Remit (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Ombudsman Act 1980, as amended provides that, following an investigation and before he makes recommendations, the Ombudsman shall send a copy of his draft report and findings to the reviewable agency concerned and to any other person to whom he considers appropriate.  The Ombudsman cannot make a finding or criticism adverse to a person in a report without having afforded...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Levy (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As provided for under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015, a significant phased amelioration of the reductions to public service pensions imposed by the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) is now underway. On 1 January 2016, the first phase of this amelioration took place by way of increases in the exemption thresholds for PSPR application....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Data (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 386 and 387 together. My Department was established in July 2011 and I can confirm that at all times we operated within agreed employment control framework "ECF" numbers and within predetermined budgets. All decisions to recruit, including replacement posts, are carefully considered as part of our Workforce Planning process.  We do not track...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Haddington Road Agreement Implementation (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 388 and 389 together. The 10% reductions in starting pay for certain new entrants were introduced in January 2011 as part of the National Recovery Plan in order to reduce the Public Service Pay Bill by the then Government.  The issue of addressing the difference in incremental salary scales between those public servants, who entered...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Records (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: In response to the Deputy's question, my Department does not employ any archiving staff. File management and archiving is a shared service provided by the Department of Finance to my Department and I understand the Department of Finance are replying directly to you on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Retirements (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: On the basis of analysis of data held on the civil service human resources management system, two hundred and fifteen civil servants retired at 65 years of age in 2015. The analysis by years of service requested by the Deputy is as follows: the number of these who had full service was 40; between 35 and 40 years service was 18; between 30 and 35 years service was 12; between 25...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Retirements (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Both the compulsory retirement age and the minimum pension age provisions to which a civil servant may be subject depend on the conditions of the pension scheme applicable at the date of their original recruitment and legislation, both of which are subject to change over time in response to such considerations as demography, labour market issues and employment policy. The Civil Service...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Social Partnership Meetings (5 Jul 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 397 and 398 together. The recently concluded National Economic Dialogue Conference which took place in Dublin Castle on the 27th and 28th June last was the second year of this event. This event provides a valuable forum with very significant Government participation for all interested parties on economic and wider issues and is open to all...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (30 Jun 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: During the period 2011 to 2015 North/South projects received EU funding under the PEACE III and INTERREG IVA Programmes. Both Programmes are managed by the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB), a North/South Body co-sponsored by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform in Ireland and the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland. The objective of the PEACE III...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Expenditure (28 Jun 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: As provided for under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015, a significant phased amelioration of the cuts to public service pensions imposed by the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) is now under way. On 1 January 2016, the first phase of this amelioration took place by way of increases in the exemption thresholds for PSPR...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (28 Jun 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy will recall that at the time of the Expenditure Statement in October 2014 an end to the Moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service was announced, to be replaced with new delegated management arrangements to be phased in during 2015 and 2016. These arrangements, which now apply to most Government departments give public service managers the means to respond to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (28 Jun 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I believe the legislative provision referred to in the question by the Deputy relates to Section 2B (inserted by section 2 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013) of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009. This provision was repealed under section 86(3) of the Workplace Relations Act 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (28 Jun 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Expenditure Statement in October 2014 announced an end to the Moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service, to be replaced with new delegated management arrangements to be phased in during 2015 and 2016. These arrangements, which now apply to most Government departments give public service managers the means to respond to service needs arising through...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (28 Jun 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The issues referred to in the Deputy's question concern Community and Employment Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors who are seeking through their union representatives the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme dating back to 2008. In this regard the position has been that it is not possible...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff Recruitment (28 Jun 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour sets out the standards required of civil servants in carrying out their work and applies to all civil servants. These standards of behaviour and values support a high quality public service, based on high levels of personal performance and responsibility. The standards which underpin the general ethos of the Civil Service also include...