Results 4,461-4,480 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I am happy to take those questions. I thank the Deputy. In the measures we have introduced in recent months, we have tried to strike a balance between ensuring that most of the measures are targeted and generally involve using the social welfare system, such as the fuel allowance scheme, back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance and so on. We have also had measures with a broader...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: We are working through the process at the moment. We are at the early stages of the Estimates process. It is helpful for me as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to have the framework in place. That puts a certain shape on the discussions that are taking place now and through September. The Government will have to identify core priorities and we know what they are in the context...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: To add to what the Minister said there, we all acknowledged during the last two years of Covid that issues that do not always get a high level of attention or traction in political debate are important to people in their day-to-day lives. We all got a renewed sense of appreciation for the environment, local amenities, walkways, greenways, biodiversity and all the issues the Deputy touched...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: With regard to EU funding, we are working on the basis of commitments that have been made already in different funding streams. The principal one I have responsibility for is the national recovery and resilience plan, which is close to €1 billion. In that context, a range of investment projects is being implemented across Government. We are making provision, as can be seen in the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I should acknowledge the work that the Deputy and the committee on transport have done on this issue over the last number of months. I thank the Deputy in particular, as Chairman, for that because I believe it helped to articulate the challenges that have been growing in recent months for the delivery of different public works contracts. We have been assessing this for a while. We made...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: We will certainly keep it under review, but the early indications are that it has been broadly welcomed and the implementation of it has begun.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for raising that point. I met the CSO in recent weeks. I visited its head office in Cork, met the leadership team there and had a really good discussion. I thanked it for all of the work it is doing. The turnaround time it achieved for the census and the headline population figures was remarkable. It did not raise any specific issues that warranted intervention but I...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: We are working to the overall Government strategy regarding Sláintecare and climate action. Legislation is now in place, the Climate Change Advisory Council is up and running, we have the overall carbon budgets and the sectoral emissions ceilings will be agreed shortly. The allocation of responsibility for those will be agreed by Government. On the capital side, we have multi-annual...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank Deputy Ryan. I make the point that just last week an additional €67 million was announced which included the extension of hot meals to children attending DEIS schools. This was a really important initiative that the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, brought forward. This also included the abolition of school transport fares and the improvement in the...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Summer Economic Statement 2022: Discussion (14 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I will add a quick word to that and I thank Deputy Lahart for coming in. It is inevitable in many respects that the challenges and the negatives tend to get a lot of traction, whether it is Covid, Brexit or the terrible war in Ukraine and the inflationary spiral that is causing. However, there are many positives. Ireland is an outlier in European terms in so many respects on the positive...

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: These amendments provide for the deletion of section 8(2)(b) of the principal Act, as amended. Section 8(2)(b) provides that a worker employed by a public body can only report to Minister if the worker reasonably believes the information disclosed in the report and any allegations contained in it are true. The intent behind the amendments the Bill is making to section 8 of the Act is to...

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: We will lay out a detailed implementation plan on the provisions of what will become new legislation and, certainly, later this year, the intention is to have that office up and running. We are engaging with the Ombudsman in that regard. While there may well be disagreements on specific aspects of the Bill, in the round, this represents very significant progress. I again acknowledge the...

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I appreciate the comments of colleagues from throughout the House. I acknowledge there has been very good collaboration from all sides. The committee chaired by Deputy McGuinness did excellent work during pre-legislative scrutiny. It identified this issue. It is my view that we have gone beyond the recommendation in the pre-legislative scrutiny report on the retrospective application of...

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: Amendment No. 1 is a technical amendment to remove a reference to subsection (7A) of section 5 of the principal Act. That subsection is to be repealed by section 3 of the Bill. Amendments Nos. 2, 7 and 12 are a series of minor amendments to provide that the rules applying to employers as regards anonymous reports should be without prejudice to their obligations to give further feedback...

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I appreciate that the time is limited and that colleagues may want to get on to issues that are covered by later amendments. I am happy to deal with those if they so wish, but that is where the discussion has gone in the past few minutes, which is fine. There are, I think, a few net issues that colleagues would like to tease out and I am happy to do it that way, but I am at your-----

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I appreciate that.

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: Two key issues have been raised.

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I am happy to deal with them. It is important we deal with them.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: Officeholders are paid a salary as a TD/Senator plus an additional salary in respect of the specific Office held. Accordingly, the following additional salary costs are provided by my Department. Minister: €82,730 Minister of State: €40,464 Further details in relation to Oireachtas members and Office Holders’ pay are published by my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures (13 Jul 2022)

Michael McGrath: I propose to take Questions Nos. 190, 196, 197, 198 and 211 together. I am not in a position to comment on individual cases before the courts. The Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022 provides for a significant overhaul of the framework of legal protections for whistleblowers provided by the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. It also provides for the transposition of Directive (EU)...