Results 4,841-4,860 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: The €165 billion national development plan to 2030, published last year, sets out the Government’s overarching investment framework and broad direction for investment priorities for this decade. The NDP also sets out the actions that are being taken to strengthen delivery, maximise value for money and ensure to the greatest extent possible that projects are delivered on time,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: We have made changes for new tenders and new contracts, allowing for indexation of the tender price prior to the awarding of the contract. New contracts provide for mutual cost recovery to allow for recovery by the contractor of inflation above a certain percentage. I acknowledge that the level of inflation being experienced in construction is placing real pressure on contractors conducting...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: We have a capital carry-forward this year of over €800 million. That gives us some extra resources to ensure the delivery of the NDP this year. I have acknowledged that if the current level of inflation in construction persists for a long period, it will impact on the number of projects in the NDP that are delivered. We have seen some signs in respect of individual tender...

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

Michael McGrath: We made a commitment in the programme for Government to reform and consolidate the ethics in public office legislation. As the Deputy’s question mentions, and as a first step in meeting this commitment, I asked my Department to undertake a review of ethics legislation in advance of bringing proposals for legislative reform to Government. Following Government agreement, this review...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 99 together. Public service pay has been governed by a system of collective agreements since the Croke Park Agreement was negotiated in 2010. These collective agreements have helped to ensure that public pay is managed in a sustainable, affordable and orderly manner. These agreements have also enabled significant reform of public services and changes to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Data (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: The Revised Estimates 2022 set out an Government Expenditure Ceiling of €87,593 million. This reflected funding allocated to Departments of almost €83 billion, with further amounts totalling just over €4.6 billion held in reserve. This reserve amount included some €3.9 billion in the Covid Contingency. In February 2022 Government announced a cost of living...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ukraine War (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Ireland, with our EU partners, is committed to helping Ukraine and its people. This includes providing necessary funds to meet the costs of providing for Ukrainian refugees arriving to Ireland. There is a whole of government approach in place to coordinate the necessary humanitarian response in order to make provision for the necessary accommodation, social protection supports, health and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Services Provision (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Thank you Deputy for the question. I am pleased to report that my Department has made significant progress to enable our public service to drive innovation in order to support our citizens. Since I launched the Public Service Innovation Strategy, ‘Making Innovation Real’ in November 2020, my Department has assisted Public Service organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: It is important that Ireland’s statutory National Minimum Wage and the Living Wage concept are not confused. The Living Wage has no legislative basis and is therefore not a statutory entitlement. It currently stands at €12.90 per hour according to the Living Wage Technical Group document 2021. The National Minimum Wage is a statutory entitlement and has a legislative basis....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, the Secretary General of a Department is appointed by the Government on the recommendation of the relevant Minister.  The selection process for appointment to the position of Secretary General is generally undertaken by the Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) with the assistance of the Public Appointments Service (PAS).  As the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Data (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: During the first quarter of 2022 net voted expenditure amounted to €15.2 billion and was €0.4 billion or 2.3% below profile. This variance was largely driven by capital expenditure. Net current expenditure was €63 million or 0.4% below profile, while capital expenditure was €302 million or 21% below profile. Regarding current expenditure, Health expenditure at...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Data (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Overall expenditure for the first quarter of 2022 is €18.9 billion. This is some €607 million (-3.1%) below the same period in 2021. Gross voted current expenditure of €17,746 million was €820 million or 4.4% below the same period last year. This largely reflects reduced expenditure in the Department of Social Protection, which was €2 billion lower than...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ukraine War (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: At this stage it is difficult to provide an accurate estimate as to the cost of supporting refugees arriving from Ukraine as the range of potential arrivals is large and the accommodation solutions, both for larger numbers of arrivals and for the medium to long term, will have a significant impact on the overall costs. Work to better understand the potential expenditure requirement is...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Cost of Living Issues (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Significant resources have been allocated by Government in Budget 2022 and subsequently to help households that may be experiencing difficulties as a result of rising prices. In Budget 2022, a range of measures to support citizens were introduced with a value of almost €1.2 billion. This included a Social Protection package of an additional €558 million which, among other...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: As Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I have statutory responsibility under the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956 for the remuneration and grading structure of civil servants, including for Secretary General posts. The selection process for appointment to the positions of Assistant Secretary General and above is generally undertaken by the Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: As Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level.  The responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan 2021 - 2030 (NDP), rests with the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110, 130, 191 and 193 together. Last year’s Summer Economic Statement (SES) set out planned expenditure ceilings to 2025 under our Medium Term Expenditure Strategy. This is part of a fiscal framework that seeks to ensure that the level of spending and overall position of the public finances are sustainable over the medium term. It sees overall core...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy will be aware, the drawdown of capital expenditure from the Exchequer is detailed each month and is publicly available in the Fiscal Monitor, which is published on the gov.ie website.  All line Departments and agencies submit information on their expenditure levels against profile to my Department, along with an explanation outlining details regarding any variance of under...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Cost of Living Issues (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: Government has introduced a number of measures in recent months to provide assistance in relation to cost of living pressures. Temporary measures have been designed  to provide swift assistance, targeted at the main underlying problem of higher energy prices and to provide additional assistance to those most vulnerable, while being mindful of the need to avoid actions that could worsen...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ethics in Public Office (28 Apr 2022)

Michael McGrath: We made a commitment in the 2020 Programme for Government to ‘reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office legislation’. As the Deputy’s question mentions, as the first step, I have asked my Department to undertake a review of Ethics legislation in advance of bringing fresh proposals for legislative reform to Government. As agreed by Government, this Review has...