Results 5,101-5,120 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Freedom of Information (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: What is the next question the Leas-Cheann Comhairle has for which a Deputy is present?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Development Plan (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: As part of Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan 2021-2030, which was published on 4 October last year, sets out the Government's overarching investment framework and broad direction for investment priorities for this decade. As Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Project Ireland 2040 (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: Achieving regional balance requires us to invest in the regions and improve the infrastructure of the regions, be it necessary public transport links or road infrastructure. As the Deputy knows, we have an overarching programme for Government commitment that the ratio of new investment in transport will be 2:1 in favour of public transport, relative to road infrastructure. There is also,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Healthcare Policy (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As the Deputy is aware, Harnessing Digital - The Digital Ireland Framework document was deliberately written to align Ireland with Europe's Digital Decade: digital targets for 2030. While my Department is primarily responsible for co-ordinating the delivery of the digital Government element of the digital Ireland framework, we will, of course, work...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Healthcare Policy (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: We all acknowledge that the pandemic accelerated many reforms throughout the system, including in the area of digitisation, especially in health. These reforms have been worked towards over a period of time, but the barriers were cut through and they were made to happen over the past couple of years. We now need to embrace them and build on them as a foundation for further reforms into the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Healthcare Policy (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: I agree with the Deputy's sentiments. There is a fantastic opportunity here that we need to embrace. The Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, and I will, in the coming days, launch Connecting Government 2030, a digital and ICT strategy for Ireland's public service. That will lay out, in much more detail, many of the key reforms on which we are working towards which will involve building...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Sector Staff (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: It is important to say that we are seeing a significant expansion of the number of people working in the higher education sector. The control framework the Deputy referred to is updated annually following the Estimates process. The key driver is what annual budget is agreed for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, which then makes its way down to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Sector Staff (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: By setting up this new Department the Government has underlined the importance it attaches to the research sector. Having a full Cabinet Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is making a difference and that can be seen in the record allocations of funding that have been made. In recent years, through Covid, we have seen a major expansion in the number...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Project Ireland 2040 (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for raising this question. The fact that the Government is committing a record amount of public money for the public capital investment programme underlines the level of importance we attach to this issue. We want to achieve regional balance and we recognise that there is a need for continued investment in infrastructure across our country. That includes measures in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Project Ireland 2040 (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: While it is the direct responsibility of the individual line Minister to manage his or her capital budget, I acknowledge the need to make sure we have a pipeline of projects moving through the system. If it is the medium to long-term objective of Government that a particular project would be delivered then it makes sense for it to continue to move forward through the project lifecycle...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Sector Staff (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for her question. As she will be aware, and as set out in my previous responses on this matter, officials from my Department engage on an ongoing basis with their counterparts in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science on multiple policy issues, which include the consideration of principles for a higher education staffing agreement....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Budget Process (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue for many people across the country. As we emerge from the pandemic and the economy recovers, we are faced with a new set of challenges, including rising energy prices and transitory supply issues that are causing prices to increase. In that context, last October's budget included a range of measures to support citizens with the rising cost...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Budget Process (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: We acknowledge that the current level of inflation is causing real problems for people in their day-to-day lives. We absolutely acknowledge that. When the budget was prepared last October, the forecast for inflation across this year was that it would average about 2.25%. It is now running, as the Deputy knows, at approximately 5% and it is much higher than that for some of the costs that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Budget Process (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: I would make the case that an intervention of more than €500 million outside the budgetary context is not insignificant. That is an important intervention by the Government and almost €400 million of that is going to everyone, in a universal sense, through the electricity credit. Many people are badly in need of that and want to see it applied to their electricity accounts as...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Legislative Measures (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: On 15 February, the Government approved the general scheme of the regulation of lobbying (amendment) Bill 2022. The general scheme has been published and referred to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach for pre-legislative scrutiny. I have instructed my officials to give the committee whatever support it requires in terms of briefing or clarification...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Legislative Measures (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: This is one of the issues we will have to debate and tease out over the course of pre-legislative scrutiny and on Second, Committee and Report Stages of the Bill across the House. It is a question of judgment. It is also a question of what is proportionate, balanced and fair. People do have a right to earn a living having worked previously at senior level in the Civil Service or as a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Legislative Measures (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: I acknowledge that change is needed. As Minister, the Deputy will not find me defending a situation where somebody can go from holding a senior position in government one day, exercising important responsibilities, to very shortly afterwards moving to a position where he or she is directly interacting with and lobbying the previous employer. That is not something that should be allowed or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: It is important to underline what my role is as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in capital budgets. I am responsible for setting the overall multi-annual capital expenditure ceilings for each ministerial Vote group as set out in the national development plan, NDP, and Project Ireland 2040. We are also responsible for maintaining the national frameworks that Departments operate in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: I have been in my current role for the past 20 months. In that time, I have instituted significant reforms in the management and oversight of major public capital investment projects. This has been necessary because we have a record budget this year of approximately €12 billion for the NDP and new procedures are essential. They have been introduced to improve project outturns, avoid...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (1 Mar 2022)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy very much for her question and wish the Leas-Cheann Comhairle a good evening. The Government has committed to €165 billion in capital investment through the national development plan, NDP, published last October. Our annual capital investment budget as a percentage of national income is now among the largest in the EU. In 2022, almost €12 billion is...