Results 4,341-4,360 of 10,964 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Heritage Sites (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy can forward to me any correspondence he has on this because it will be of help to us. If we have a role in this, we want to be clear with the Deputy and the Dáil, but the wider question he has raised is something I am already attuned to, which is the ownership of the monuments versus those who manage, protect and oversee them. There is an issue in that respect that I would...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Projects (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy. I have a very short reply but if he asks a supplementary question it might improve matters. The provision of walkways and cycleways is a matter for local authorities and the OPW does not have any function in the role. The OPW is responsible for the maintenance of embankments that form part of arterial drainage schemes completed under the Arterial Drainage Acts. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Projects (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I totally agree with Deputy Griffin. A commitment I will make is to explore this further. It is accepted that the existing and the older defences, which would be the traditional ones we are all used to seeing throughout the country, might not have the capability to have any sort of walking or cycling infrastructure placed on top of them. However, in terms of some of the newer ones, this is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Projects (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy knows, because an element of this is that we both have had the lashes on our backs on occasion in regard to the development of greenways, greenways and cycleways are often dependent on the goodwill and the permissive access of landowners. Any changes to the way the Office of Public Works would go about the design and roll-out of any kind of flood embankment would have to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Labour Employer Economic Forum (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy. As he is aware, the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, was established to bring together representatives of employers and trade unions with Ministers to exchange views on economic and employment issues as they affect the labour market and which are of mutual concern. The Government has not been prescriptive about what organisations have a seat at the LEEF but has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Labour Employer Economic Forum (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy. I will communicate his point to the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath. I know it is a commitment by this Government, as it was with the previous Government, that SMEs would have access. I know the former Minister with responsibility for enterprise, Deputy Heather Humphreys, facilitated access and the current Tánaiste is doing so as well. My old role which involved...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Heritage Sites (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy for his question. As he states, the Office of Public Works is responsible for the maintenance and operation of a defined list of approximately 700 sites in the State. Some of these include properties like Newgrange, Kilmainham Gaol and Dublin Castle, which are well known and visited by significant numbers of international tourists every year. However, most of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Heritage Centres (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. A number of sites have closed and Sceilg Mhichíl is not the only one. Sites in Galway, Wexford, Laois, Clare, Dublin, Wicklow, Meath, Tipperary and Kildare are also closed. They are closed on the basis of health and safety, which is important to point out to the House. We have to be conscious of the potential of the virus to spread because we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Sector Pay (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, who had to step out of the Chamber. I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 28 together. As the Deputies will be aware, the current public sector pay agreement, the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020, will expire at the end of the year. The agreement was passed into law by the House in the Public Service Pay and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Sector Pay (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I draw the Deputy's attention to the second part of the sentence he quoted, where I stated proceeding with the payment was also a "demonstration of our commitment to collective agreements." We committed to that in the programme for Government and no timeframe has yet been laid out within which the Minister will enter into negotiations with unions. He has committed to the House that he...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is not possible at the moment to do what Deputy Durkan asks for a variety of reasons that will be outlined by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, as part of the July stimulus initiative. The Department of Finance data for this quarter and forecasts for the remainder of the year and spending will be as accurate as is possible. While we have seen a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: There is a twofold element in that regard. The public spending code is one of the mechanisms the Government will have at its disposal in relation to the amount of moneys being spent. The ongoing monitoring within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform of the individual Votes from this House to each of the Departments gives it an indication as to outturn not only annually but across...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Heritage Centres (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank Deputy Griffin for his good wishes. I know that this is an issue he feels strongly about because he raised it with me in the immediate aftermath of my appointment. As the Deputy is aware, the OPW announced earlier this year that the Sceilg Mhichíl visitor site would not open at the scheduled date of 16 May because of Covid 19 concerns. In the context of the significant...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Heritage Centres (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank Deputy Griffin. I have asked the Chairman of the Office of Public Works to review its decision in regard to this site. We are taking the matter very seriously. It is hoped that the review process will be completed before the end of July, which is only a couple of days away. It is worth pointing out that the Skelligs is unique in terms of its UNESCO status and in terms of access,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 19 together. I thank Deputy Durkan. I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, who has had to leave for a Cabinet sub-committee meeting. He asked me to take these questions on his behalf. Managing expenditure within allocations is the responsibility of every Department and its Minister. Significant additional expenditure...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Flood Relief Schemes (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I agree with Deputy Brendan Smith. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, also appreciates the Deputy's sentiments. The more money he provides the OPW, the more I will be able to spend.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Properties (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I know this is an area in which the Deputy has much interest and has raised in both the House and the Committee of Public Accounts. The State’s office accommodation portfolio is large and geographically dispersed. It currently comprises 543 buildings of various sizes totalling an estimated 888,000 sq. m of accommodation of which 61%, 542,000 sq. m is in owned buildings with the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Properties (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have given the Deputy no date. However, I will prioritise this during my tenure in the Department. I have only entered the Department in the past ten days. From my previous time on the Committee of Public Accounts, I know this issue constantly arose, particular concerning the balance between rent and purchase or build. It is worth noting that on rent alone, the OPW rental bill has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Properties (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: I do not disagree with the Deputy. As I stated earlier in my reply, the decisions on whether we lease or build must have regard to several different factors. I referred to two of them, namely the operational requirements of the Departments and agencies. Many of them will come to the table with different and peculiar demands in a short period which we might not be able to fulfil. ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Flood Prevention Measures (21 Jul 2020)

Patrick O'Donovan: An application to the OPW was submitted by Tipperary County Council under the remedial works element of the 2017 voluntary homeowners relocation scheme. A letter approving the required funding to Tipperary County Council for proposed works to protect two properties at Borrisoleigh road issued from the Commissioners of Public Works on 13 July LAST.