Results 241-260 of 9,898 for speaker:Jack Chambers

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Programme for Government prioritised an early review of the National Development Plan (NDP), with the objective of improving our infrastructure, especially housing, energy, water and transport. Improvements to these sectors of economic infrastructure is necessary to enable the delivery of 300,000 additional homes by 2030 and to boost our competitiveness. A series of bilateral...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The recently published review of the National Development Plan (NDP) outlines the principal capital expenditure ceilings for the period 2026–2030. It is the most ambitious investment framework in the history of the Irish State, with €102.4 billion earmarked for capital spending. Each Government Department is now charged with the responsibility of formulating sector-specific and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: As of the 25th July 2025, the number of full time equivalents directly employed in my Department, broken down by grade, are as follows: Grade FTE of Current Staff CO 83.5 EO 120 HEO 196 AO 102 AP 208 PO 62 ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Information and Communications Technology (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: My Department recognises the need to have skills across the range of ICT and digital disciplines including design thinking, user experience, creative problem solving, data science and analysis, digital design and innovation, cloud infrastructures, cyber security and new technologies as they emerge. It also recognises that the most effective project teams tend to be a mix of internal (ICT and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Summer Economic Statement (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 839 to 841, inclusive, together. The Summer Economic Statement (SES) was published on 22nd July. This document sets out the Governments overall fiscal parameters for Budget 2026. As outlined in the SES, an overall budgetary package of €9.4 billion has been agreed for Budget 2026. This comprises €7.9 billion in expenditure measures and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Data (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The National Development Plan (NDP) Review 2025 was published on 22 July 2025 and provides for total public capital investment of €275.4 billion to 2035. This includes gross Exchequer capital investment of €202.4 billion for 2026 to 2035. Of this, €102.4 billion has been provided in annual sectoral capital allocations for 2026 to 2030, an increase of €23.9 billion...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The National Development Plan (NDP) Review 2025 was published on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, in line with the Programme for Government commitment. The review provides investment to support the development of critical infrastructure including, water, grid and transport to support the delivery of housing nationally and to improve our long-term competitiveness. In the review, Government has set...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Strategies (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 845 and 846 together. Public Sector Duty obligations impact on my Department’s functions in many ways. To address this and to ensure that it informs all relevant roles in the Department on an ongoing basis, the Statement of Strategy includes, under the Our Enablers section, commitments to: Supporting and investing in our people and culture and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Data (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I include an attachment detailing the different units in my Department along with the allocated budgets for 2025.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Inquiries (29 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 848 and 784 together. It is a stated long term objective of the Office of Public Works (OPW) to reunite the historic demesne lands surrounding Castletown House and Estate. Property negotiations are carried out in a commercial environment and the OPW considers that negotiations with property owners, in respect of any potential transactions, are confidential...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Development Plan (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The programme for Government reaffirmed its commitment to the shared island fund and committed to increasing the resources available to the fund by a further €1 billion up to 2035. The shared island initiative is co-ordinated by a dedicated unit within the Department of the Taoiseach, with a focus on fostering co-operation and collaboration across the island of Ireland, aiming to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Development Plan (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I share the Deputy's ambition and focus on this critical investment to help to build peaceful and thriving communities. The fund helps to deliver economic regeneration and transformation across our island and empowers and invests in young people, embedding partnership and collaboration. The PEACEPLUS programme and the shared island fund have driven progress across many areas and we are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I thank the Deputies for their questions. To speak to Deputy Crowe's point, there has been a significant consultation on Ireland's procurement strategy and we will have a new national procurement strategy in the coming months. The Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, is leading out on that work. Changes are taking place in the EU and we expect them to conclude during Ireland's...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Sector Pensions (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: Recruitment plans around chargeable excess tax and pension contributions are two separate issues. I agree that what happened is unacceptable. That is why we need a full external audit and that will happen. If someone who has worked in the public service is liable for chargeable excess tax, they have 20 years on a normal basis to spread that liability once they retire. For example, if...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Sector Pensions (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The external audit will be important in assessing the wider systems processes and compliance with public policy and with the statutory position the NSSO exists within. That work will commence and be completed as soon as practically possible. The tender process is ongoing with this audit for the NSSO. As part of budgetary preparations, we are being clear we want to make permanent,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I thank the Deputy. My Department has implemented several safeguards and strategic frameworks to ensure that large-scale public infrastructure contracts are completed on time and within budget. The infrastructure guidelines published in 2023 set the key requirements for project governance over a project’s life cycle. The guidelines cover the evaluation of projects and their proper...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I agree. Much work has been done in recent years to embed international best practice into contract management. The wider point has to be acknowledged that if things become too risk averse and no decision is made, then we do not have any delivery and have a long list of hypothetical projects that are not delivered over time. We need a balanced discussion on delivery, in addition to that on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Sector Pensions (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: As the Deputy said, she is referring to delay in addressing taxes due on retirement and anomalies in deductions of various pension contributions. A review in relation to Ministers who may have been impacted regarding contributions and additional superannuation contributions, ASCs, has been completed. Those identified are being contacted and engagement is ongoing. I understand from the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Water Services (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: I thank Deputy Farrell for raising the issue of offshore islands, Deputy Burke for raising the issue of wastewater treatment plants during the noughties and Deputy Crowe for raising the issue of underlying infrastructure. My first role as part of this is to ensure that commercial State bodies, like Uisce Éireann, are appropriately funded over the medium term. That is something we will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jul 2025)

Jack Chambers: The national development plan is the State's medium- to long-term plan for public capital investment. The current national development plan to 2030 provided for public capital investment of €165 billion over the period 2021 to 2030. Government is currently prioritising an early review of this plan, to be published this month, which will set out five-year departmental capital ceilings...