Results 4,821-4,840 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: That is a case that perhaps could have been made in the past. I do not believe it is a case that stands up to scrutiny at this time.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: It might suit the Deputy to adopt a narrow, divisive approach. It might suit him politically on the ground, but it is not accurate. He is not being fair to the people of the northside of Cork city in the way he has presented that area and community today, either in the south-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: -----because the evidence-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: If I can conclude without being interrupted, the evidence is this Government is prioritising investment in the northside of Cork city and across the whole area of the constituency, not just the city. The Deputy can look at Glanmire and the Glashaboy flood relief scheme, which was many years in the pipeline and is being delivered by this Government. We have included the northern ring road in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: -----and the Government is committed to advancing it. It has to go through a statutory process. As it goes through the process, the funding issue can then be met and funding can be made available. When the Deputy looks at the full range of housing, healthcare, road infrastructure, public transport, education, sports capital and community facilities, this is a Government that has been very...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (28 Apr 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 expenditure is managed in line with these allocations by Departments. In this way, officials from my Department engage with their counterparts on proposals on a variety of expenditure measures, including in relation to housing. However, queries...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: We had a very significant social welfare package in the previous budget, totalling well in excess of €500 million. As the Deputy will know, this involved increases in core weekly rates and improvements in the living alone allowance, the carer's allowance, parent's benefit, the working family payment, the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, the qualified child increase, and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I agree with the Deputy's point regarding the exceptional needs payment. It is there to support people who genuinely need assistance. Nobody should be afraid to reach out to his or her local community welfare officer. As a Government, we will do the best we can to promote and highlight the fact this service is there because, at a time when many people are undoubtedly under significant...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Authorities (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I agree we need multidisciplinary teams to deliver the full set of active travel projects, given the set of skills that is needed is certainly wider than that confined to the engineering profession. Nevertheless, there is adequate flexibility within the current statutory framework for the local government sector to recruit people with different qualifications, skills and experience....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Government is aware of the challenges many households are facing due to increases in the cost of living, in particular those on lower incomes. The recent rise in inflation is a problem faced by almost every advanced economy in the world. We saw a fall in prices in 2020 as a result of the pandemic but, as the global economy recovers, we are faced with new challenges including rising...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I fully accept that anyone in the business of providing a transport or haulage service is under great pressure at the moment because of the importance of fuel costs for them, which is why the Government brought forward the scheme the Deputy mentioned. The scheme, which applies to licensed hauliers, was introduced by the Minister for Transport, so I will undertake to raise with him and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I will discuss the matter with the Minister. I would imagine the reason the scheme has been constructed for licensed hauliers only relates to the existence of a defined list of them and also because they are regulated. We will need to examine the issue in some greater detail. I understand the point the Deputy makes, whereby people who are involved in the business of transporting livestock...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Budget 2022 included a number of measures to support citizens faced with increased costs of living. The Government is acutely aware, however, of the challenges still facing many households, in particular relating to energy bills and especially for those on lower incomes. In response to previous questions, I set out a number of measures the Government has brought forward. In February, there...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Pay (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: This is an issue with which I am well familiar. I have discussed it directly with many individual teachers over the last decade or so. All the progress that has made has been made through collective negotiation and co-operation between trade union officials and officials in my Department and the Department of Education. As I said, the current Building Momentum agreement specifically...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Pay (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I accept the importance of fully addressing this issue. I believe that building on the work that was completed in 2018, the new Building Momentum agreement provides for this incremental jump. It provides an additional increase of €1,700 per teacher. All those who are above point 12 also received an additional incremental jump to the next point on the pay scale. As I said, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Authorities (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: As Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I have responsibility under the Public Service Management Acts for recruitment to the Civil Service. I have no responsibility for recruitment in various other branches of the wider public service, however, which are assigned to the relevant Minister. The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 sets out that the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Authorities (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Deputy is absolutely right to highlight the level of priority this Government affords to the issue of active travel. We have committed €1.8 billion towards its development over the five-year period to 2026. On the specific issue of getting the correct mix of skills and experience to deliver these programmes, it is primarily a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ethics in Public Office (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I assure Deputy Farrell of my personal commitment to addressing this issue. I do not believe it is acceptable that when we have spent hundreds of millions of euro of taxpayers' money on tribunals of inquiry and they make recommendations, the Oireachtas and Government do not act on those recommendations. This is why when I came into my current role I set up this review to fulfil the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ethics in Public Office (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I am not familiar with the exact detail of the An Bord Pleanála issue under review, so I am not going to comment on that. The Public Sector Standards Bill, which was brought forward in 2015, was last discussed on Committee Stage in April 2017, which was five years ago. It is in need of modernising and reform. The review we are undertaking is the best way to approach that. It is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Pay (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for raising this issue. The reduced new entrant pay scales for civil and public servants introduced in 2011 were abolished in 2013 under the Haddington Road agreement, where it was agreed to merge the new pay scales and existing scales, typically by adding the lower two points of the new scale to the existing scale. As such, there are no separate reduced pay scales...