Results 4,761-4,780 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Deputy's statement that what the Government has done is not enough is a fairer comment because that is his view, but to come to the Chamber to say we did nothing is, as I said, completely incorrect. I do not accept that €2.4 billion in measures represents a drop in the ocean. For a country the size of Ireland, the use of taxpayers' money of that magnitude is a major decision. It...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: -----and can afford to spend. We will then make decisions as a Government to be as fair as we possibly can in recognising the cost-of-living challenges people are undoubtedly facing but also being honest with people. The Government cannot fully off-set the impact on people's lives of this terrible war, which it had nothing to do with.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I have not had an opportunity to see the report he referenced that was published today, but I can give an update on the initiatives-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I do not expect Deputy Boyd Barrett to come in here and give any kind of fair assessment of what the Government has done, but to come in and say it has done nothing is just blatantly incorrect. He knows that. In the most recent budget, and the measures since, we have introduced a package of approximately €2.4 billion of taxpayers' money to support households because we recognise and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The DAA has major obligations as an employer. It now has a duty to ensure that it reaches a full staffing complement in order to ensure the safe and efficient running of Dublin Airport and Cork Airport, which also comes under the remit of the DAA. That is why it is in the process of a significant recruitment campaign, which has attracted a lot of interest. It has offered existing security...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The decision of the DAA in May 2020 to embark on a voluntary severance scheme was against the backdrop at the time of a collapse in the aviation industry and the commercial reality that it was losing an enormous amount of money daily. It proposed a voluntary severance scheme and there was significant uptake of the scheme. It is also fair to say that the recovery in aviation has exceeded the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy. The message from the Government could not be clearer. The DAA needs to do whatever it takes to ensure this issue is addressed and that we do not see those kinds of scenes again, especially on the forthcoming bank holiday weekend. That is why the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, reinforced to the DAA executives the imperative to get...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what is such an important issue. The scenes at Dublin Airport that we all witnessed on our screens at the weekend are completely unacceptable. Passengers going through the airport should not have had to endure an experience like that and I can only imagine the stress, anxiety and anger that was caused to so many of them. Many of them had been saving long...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy is aware, a general round increase in annualised basic salary of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, is provided for on 1 October 2021 in Building Momentum – A New Public Service Agreement, 2021-2022. Under the current pension increase policy for pre-existing public service pension schemes, this increase falls to be passed on to those pensions awarded under the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The most recent version of the capital investment tracker was released on 18 May 2022. Previous editions of the tracker were published in September 2017, September 2018, May 2019, January 2020, December 2020 and October 2021. The Tracker is drawn from data provided by relevant Government Departments and agencies. It focuses mainly on projects and programmes with costs greater than €20...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: Details of the 320 projects from the May 2022 edition of the Project Ireland 2040 interactive map being progressed in the five cities are set out in the attached Excel file. This data is a snapshot in time and is current as of May 2022. The interactive map and capital tracker serves to highlight the diverse range of infrastructural projects being delivered throughout Ireland. The...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flexible Work Practices (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The experience of the COVID pandemic has had a significant impact on the world of work, with an overnight move by necessity to remote working in various sectors. There have been many positive aspects to this experience for both employers and employees. It has also highlighted certain challenges. In the case of the Civil Service, remote working will be facilitated into the future on a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The process of unwinding the Financial Emergency (FEMPI) legislation commenced under the Lansdowne Road Agreement 2016-2018, with the remainder of the process largely completed under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA). This will continue under ‘Building Momentum: A New Public Service Agreement, 2021-2022’. At this point, salary rates up to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Staff (31 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: I wish to advise the Deputy that as of end April 2022, there were 681 staff employed in my Department (of which 237 are employed in the Office of Government Procurement therein), comprised of 346 females and 335 males. The gender breakdown at each grade is set out in the table below: Grade Male Female Total Secretary General 1 ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (26 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service Organisations was published on Thursday 31st March 2022. The Framework provides for a consistent facilitation of remote working across the Civil Service, appropriate to local business needs, while maintaining the Civil Service’s position as an employer of choice. This document was published following a thorough and productive...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Data (25 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The grade of Principal Officer (PO) encompasses pay-scales at PO Standard Scale and PO Higher Scale.  In total, there are 4 levels as both scales include members appointed before April 1995 where no pension contribution is required (Non PPC) and those appointed after April 1995 where a personal pension contribution is required (PPC Scales). Table 1 shows the numbers in each...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (25 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Deputy will be aware that I have primary responsibility for Civil Service pensions only.  The responsibility for other Public Service pensions rests with the relevant Minister. Therefore this department would not have the full information requested by the Deputy in respect of on all individuals who left the public service. The Deputy would need to seek that information separately...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Social Wage (24 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy is aware, my Department is responsible for policy on allocating public funds across each area of Government spending and ensuring that expenditure is managed in line with these allocations by Departments. In this way, officials from my Department engage with their counterparts on proposals in relation to a variety of expenditure measures including in relation to social welfare,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Government Communications (24 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The information requested by the Deputy is set out below. Michael McGrath T.D. – Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Contact Means Address Address Minister’s Office, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion Street, D02 R583 email minister@per.gov.ie ...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Funding (24 May 2022)

Michael McGrath: The allocation of resources from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve is aligned with the annual Estimates process, which has been the vehicle for allocating Brexit resources since the UK referendum on EU membership in 2016. Budget 2022 announced that around €500 million of the overall BAR allocation will be made available as a first tranche of funding, with the remainder available in 2023....