Results 21-40 of 9,888 for speaker:Jack Chambers

Financial Resolutions 2025 - Budget Statement 2026 (7 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: Introduction Táimid ag teacht i dtír le fada ar na buntáistí a bhaineann le geilleagar oscailte sofhreagrúil a bheith againn. Cé go bhfónann sé sin go maith dúinn mar thír, ní mór dúinn aghaidh a thabhairt ar an timpeallacht eacnamaíoch agus polaitiúil atá ag titim amach níos faide i gcéin. Tá...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Pensions (7 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: This Department has not received advice from the Department of Finance or Central Bank recommending an increase in the State pension age. This Department is aware of the potential impacts of projected demographic changes on pensions. To address such concerns, the previous Government established the Pensions Commission in November 2020. Its mandate was to examine the long-term...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Post Office Network (7 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: My Department has not had any direct engagement with An Post in respect of the Rathmines Post Office since May 2025. Responsibility for the oversight of An Post, including matters relating to the operation and location of post offices, lies primarily with the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Mr. Patrick O’Donovan TD, and the Minister of State with responsibility for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Properties (7 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: The calculation of an award of Professional Added Years (PAY) is personal to each individual and the relevant competition under which they are being appointed in accordance with the relevant PAY circular. Circular 08 of 2005 is the basis for how Professional Added Years awarded to eligible public servants who were appointed as New Entrants (as defined in the Public Service Superannuation...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (7 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: Public Procurement is governed by EU legislation and national rules/guidelines. EU Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement (goods, services and works) has been transposed into Irish Law in the form of corresponding Regulations - S.I. No. 284/2016 - European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts). My Department has published the Public Procurement Guidelines for Goods and Services to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (7 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: Shared Services were created as part of Ireland’s Public Service Reform Programme from 2011. Centralising core functions like payroll and HR streamline public service delivery. I understand there was no formal impact assessment on each decision within the reform programme like issuing of payslips, however inclusion and accessibility are central to any new service provided by the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Regulations (7 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Department for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation is leading on digitalisation of public services, which is a core component of the Better Public Service Transformation strategy. The Government digital wallet is one of a number of building blocks of the digital transition that will see all key public services becoming available online over the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (2 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: The National Development Plan (NDP) Review 2025 was published in July and is the largest ever capital injection in our economy in the history of the State. The Review sets out a total public capital investment of €275.4bn over the period to 2035. This comprises €202.4bn in Exchequer Voted capital expenditure from 2026 to 2035. Of this, €102.4bn is being allocated...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (2 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: The necessity of investment in critical infrastructure to allow for the further delivery of housing and to support international competitiveness was the core objective of the recently published NDP review in July 2025. The review specific targets the critical sectors of Energy, Water and Transport as the sectors on which all further development is dependent. Within these sectors, special...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (2 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 to 274, inclusive, together. As per the Programme for Government, a new Infrastructure Division has been established in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This Division, led by a Deputy Secretary General, is focused on how the provision of critical infrastructure can be accelerated. The Division is staffed by a combination of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Appointments Service (2 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: An Interdepartmental Competition for Promotion to Higher Executive Officer (HEO) positions with fluency in the Irish language in the Civil Service was launched on 3 November 2023 and is currently planned to run until 30 November 2025. There were 80 applications with 5 people being panelled and assigned in locations in Dublin and Galway. Recognising the vital role of Irish-language...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Regulations (2 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: My Department has invested a total of €2,694,327 to date in the delivery of the national Government digital wallet initiative, with projected expenditure rising to €3,099,082 by the end of 2025.  This initiative is being implemented through a phased approach, with funding allocated across multiple years to support the design, ongoing development, testing, and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Budget 2026 (1 Oct 2025)

Jack Chambers: I am aware of the issues raised by the Irish Farmers Association. As part of the budgetary process, I met with them and they raised the concerns of their members as outlined in their comprehensive Pre Budget submission. Many of the matters raised in the submission are primarily policy matters for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, with whom I am working closely on preparing the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Data (30 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: Please find related partial figures in answer to this question around cloud storage solutions costs. My Department is in the process of collating and finalizing these figures which will be made available to the deputy in due course. These are incurred by the Office of Government Chief Information Officer in delivering digital public services such as gov.ie. ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (30 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: Public Procurement is governed by EU legislation and national rules/guidelines. EU Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement (goods, services and works) has been transposed into Irish Law in the form of corresponding Regulations - S.I. No. 284/2016 - European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts). My Department has published the Public Procurement Guidelines for Goods and Services to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information (30 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation published the Model Publication Scheme in 2016. In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2014, it sets out requirements for the publication of information by FOI bodies routinely outside of the FOI process. As Deputy Dolan has stated, this includes the quarterly publication of payments and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (30 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: The National Development Plan (NDP) Review 2025 was published in July and is the largest ever capital injection in our economy in the history of the State. The Review sets out a total public capital investment of €275.4bn over the period to 2035. This comprises €202.4bn in Exchequer Voted capital expenditure from 2026 to 2035. Of this, €102.4bn is being allocated for...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (30 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: The retirement age policy in respect of firefighters is the remit of the Minister for Housing Local Government and Heritage. In August 2024, the mandatory retirement age for firefighters was extended to age 62. The retirement age policy in respect of members of An Garda Síochána and prison officers is the remit of the Minister for Justice, and for members of the Defence Forces,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Language (30 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: Each year as part of the budgetary process my Department sets the overall expenditure ceilings for each Ministerial Vote Group approved by Government. These are laid out at Vote level in the Budget day Expenditure Report published in October with further detail provided in the Revised Estimates for Public Services published in December. Following the allocation of each Ministerial...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (30 Sep 2025)

Jack Chambers: Professional Added Years (PAY) schemes apply to certain members of pre-existing public service pension schemes recruited by way of open competition to professional, technical or specialist permanent posts in the civil/public service. The ‘New Entrant Scheme’ was introduced under Circular 8/2005 and applies to persons appointed to established professional, technical or...