Results 3,221-3,240 of 33,118 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (7 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy may be aware that there are a number of superannuation schemes applicable to serving civil and public servants. The terms of these schemes, including membership conditions, are provided for under various acts, secondary legislation and administrative measures. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a definitive answer to the Deputy’s question as it does not specify...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Freedom of Information (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy. A review of the FOI legislation is currently taking place. This review will form the basis for any changes to the legislation that I expect the Government to bring forward later in the year. To answer the Deputy directly, given the confines of time, I expect it will be during this year that the review will conclude and I will be in a position to bring forward any...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Freedom of Information (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware, my predecessor as Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, published a comprehensive update regarding the work that is under way on the FOI legislation. The legislation is actively used at the moment. The annual volume of requests doubled between 2014 and 2019. The drop-off in the use of FOI legislation during the pandemic has now ceased and we are seeing a further upward...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: The question tabled by the Deputy, in written format, referred to general levels of recruitment in our public services, as opposed to the health sector in particular. I will respond to the question the Deputy asked on the floor in the context of the health sector. We have approximately 20,000 more people working in our health service than we did before the pandemic. That figure is at...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy said that we might as well not have built it. Is that his attitude?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: We might as well not have built it.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: Is that the Deputy's response to the great housing crisis and difficulty we are in?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I accept it is a rent level that would be unaffordable for many people. I accept that but it is affordable for some. People will either live in them or rent them. Any increase in housing, any new house or apartment built and provided to somebody, is progress. It is also the reason our level of social housing output, the level of new homes being built by our approved housing bodies and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I accept we need to make progress in delivering even more homes. The Government is at pains to recognise that. However, in the Deputy's world view, there is no role for the private sector in delivering those homes. Homes built in this country by the private sector are built at a profit, and we need those homes to be built. We need a private sector that can build more homes, and in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cost of Living Issues (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. In recognition of the effect that high energy prices and the cost of living are having on families, businesses and the most vulnerable, the Government last week announced a package of measures amounting to almost €1.3 billion, almost €500 million of which relates to expenditure measures to help people on fixed incomes like pensioners...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cost of Living Issues (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I reiterate what the Taoiseach has said on the matter. I understand changes in energy markets are passed through at different speeds to different kinds of customers. Businesses experienced sharp increases in electricity bills before households. I know one energy provider put the cost of energy up in January. I understand that just as the bills went up quicker for some customers, they will...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cost of Living Issues (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: We will work on this in the weeks and months ahead. I do not feel I can put a timeframe on when we expect bills to come down. It is not my role to do so. I re-emphasise the expectation we have that, given the vast amount of our country’s money the Government has spent - €9 billion since January 2022 - to help with the rising cost of living, which for much of its duration was...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for raising this. As he will be aware, the NDP, published in October 2021 provides a detailed and positive vision for Ireland over a decade, involving total public investment of €165 billion. The urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, was established to deliver more compact and sustainable development, as envisaged under this project. It currently...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I will certainly work with the Deputy on that. I am very familiar with all of the issues in Swords that he mentioned. I am also very much aware of the impact that population growth has had on the existing infrastructure, such as schools, public transport and all the issues he touched on. The projects I have outlined in my answer, particularly from a transport point of view can make a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: Because some of these projects are so big, it takes a long time to do them. Even with that recognition, I know many commuters feel that we have been talking about projects such as the metro for a long time and they want to see reality. I fully take the Deputy's points regarding the different projects he has raised on behalf of his constituents. He can be assured that I will work with him...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: As I know the Deputy is aware given his involvement in these matters, we have already made three different pay actions following on from the high level action plan the Government agreed, as I said a moment ago, last summer. I am engaging with the Tánaiste on a number of these recommendations. It is difficult for me to give a timeline on that at this point because we have some further...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: They are indeed two significant matters and I can understand why the Deputy is pressing them with me. He is 100% correct this is an earned allowance. Activity is taken, in return for which the allowance will be made available. However, the Deputy will be aware such allowances are not unique to the Defence Forces, despite the extraordinary work they do. We have similar allowances in place...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Pay (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: The public service Exchequer pay bill is estimated to be almost €24 billion in 2023, which accounts for almost one third of current expenditure for the year. Details of departmental allocations are set out in the 2023 Revised Estimates Volume. Departments are required to meet pay costs from within these approved allocations. Pay in the public service has been governed by a system of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Pay (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: I am very much aware of the importance of the work that adult education tutors perform across our society. There are 3,300 of them working to support the adult education sector and they work across 16 different education and training boards. However, the terms and conditions of adult education tutors are a matter, in the first instance, for both the Department of Education and the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Pay (2 Mar 2023)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department fundamentally has to be satisfied that any offer, any agreement that is made, is consistent with our overall approach to public pay. It is vital that we do this because we need to ensure that all public servants are treated equitably and fairly. My Department does have a role to play in ensuring this consistency is in place across all of our public servants. As I said to the...