Results 41-60 of 9,090 for speaker:Jack Chambers

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: -----and trying to deliver on our broader social and public objectives when it comes to many areas of capital expenditure.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: I will finish by giving some further context. We brought forward the increased mandatory retirement age for those who choose to avail of it. The legislative change also allows uniformed members of the single scheme to continue accruing referrable amounts towards their occupational pensions for the additional years now worked. These members will continue accruing pension benefits on a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: I appreciate the feedback the Deputy has received. I regularly engage with all the uniformed members myself. I again acknowledge the work they do. The context of the 2013 scheme when it was introduced meant that it was the largest reform of public service occupational pension schemes in the history of the State. That was to try to put them on a sustainable footing by acknowledging the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: Securing value for money is a central priority for this Government and is at the heart of all decision making at every stage of a policy, project or programme's life cycle, and it should be. Delivering value for money is about securing the efficient and effective use of public resources in the pursuit of better public services, living standards and infrastructure for the people of Ireland....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: I reject the Deputy's assertion that it is not a consideration; it categorically is. That is why we have put in place many of the governance frameworks around the major projects' advisory group. This has significant external evaluation and assurance processes and addresses the need for value for money in all elements of the infrastructure guidelines, which are published. That is set out...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ethics in Public Office (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: I thank the Deputy. Through this legislative reform, we want to have an effective updated standards framework. Such a framework is integral to the quality and efficacy of public governance in our State. It needs to be future-proofed in that context. The regulation of conflicts of interest is obviously central to building trust in public institutions and in the objectivity of public...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: The single public service pension scheme is a statutory public service career-average defined benefit pension scheme, established on 1 January 2013 under the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012. The single scheme was established to place publicly funded retirement benefits on a more sustainable footing in the context of longer life expectancies. All new...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: I reject the Deputy's assertions in respect of that matter. What she outlined relates to CSO and Central Bank data that was already in the public domain and that as debated in the Dáil on the day it was published by her colleague Deputy Doherty and the then Minister for housing, Deputy O'Brien. There were lots of projections across the public domain, and the Government obviously said...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Minister for housing responded to that on the day the CSO figures were published. There were lots of-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: -----different projections which set out higher levels of completions and which were in the public domain. As has been previously said, the Government is disappointed with the final outturn of 2024.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: That is why central to the review of the national development plan will be housing supply and infrastructure delivery.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: We have a lot of constraints and barriers when it comes to housing supply which we need to unblock and which are undermining our ability to deliver the overall level of supply required to help people in the communities we all represent.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: Similarly, investment in transport infrastructure unlocks housing development.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: We know about the deficit in water infrastructure. Supporting the capital plan Irish Water has will be fundamental to unlocking the overall housing supply we require. In addition, there are the many of the other capital projects the Deputy referenced around refuges and other areas of priority. That is why we are reviewing the NDP. We are also looking at the delivery systems that underpin...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ethics in Public Office (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. As he is aware, in the recently agreed programme for Government, we agreed to update the ethics in public office legislation. This is on foot of a wide-ranging review of the legislative framework for ethics in public life that my Department undertook during the lifetime of the previous Government. The report relating to that review was...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ethics in Public Office (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: In the context of the engagement with the Government Chief Whip and the Attorney General on the legislative programme, that is obviously legislation my Department has responsibility for. We have said we are going to engage in a review. Deputy Howlin was an excellent Member of this House. He did an excellent job in the role I am in. He brought forward the Bill in question, which has not...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ethics in Public Office (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: I did not.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: As Minister for public expenditure, infrastructure, public service reform and digitisation, 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 or sectoral policy strategies within the allocations initially rests with...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: As Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation 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 or sectoral policy strategies, within the allocations agreed under the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: EU Programmes (3 Apr 2025)

Jack Chambers: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105, 135 and 159 together. The PEACEPLUS programme has a total value of €1.1 billion and is funding projects across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland, including Donegal, until 2029. PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the Irish Government, the European Commission, the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. My Department has...