Results 81-100 of 9,462 for speaker:Jack Chambers

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The Deputy knows transport is a key priority in the context of the national development plan review we are establishing. It is going to receive a significant uplift in its overall allocation. It is for us to work with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on how we sequence that capital allocation over a series of years. There will not be an endless amount available, so we need to see what...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The €20 billion we have set aside for the new national development plan to reach in excess of €97 billion, building on the existing plan, consists of three separate funds. One is the Apple escrow, which we have received in the main, the AIB share sales and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund. That is a big increase in capital over our existing baseline over the coming...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: To the Deputy's first point, one piece of work we are doing with the infrastructure task force in the division is on what changes we can make to yield better delivery. Different people have ideas about how critical infrastructure would be labelled, for example. The outworking of our barriers to infrastructure report will set that out. We have reference to the public investment Act in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Both prior to and after a budget, we have the SWITCH model, which looks at the distribution analysis. That is within the ESRI and looks at the overall distribution of the budget. Separately the well-being framework is published. It is an important piece of work in the context of the outputs that exist. Overall, we monitor a lot of the trends that exist in different Departments and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I thank the Senator for his question. In the 2020 to 2022 period, construction inflation was in double digit territory and the pipeline of projects that were in progress was not being delivered, constructed or tendered for at that point. There was a significant impact and respective delays. One thing that is emerging from the wider work we are doing on the infrastructure task force is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: We take the obligations under the climate Act very seriously, in particular the need for public sector decarbonisation. We know the broader risk of Ireland's not progressing many of the initiatives that are there. That is an important component of our work in line with some of the other areas I have referenced. The equality tagging that is happening will make an impact when it is completed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Significant changes have been made to the protected disclosure legislation relating to the EU directive on whistleblowers specifically, which is managed by the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner. In July 2024, it was indicated that the European Commission must furnish a report to the European Parliament assessing the impact of national law transposing the directives. We have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: That is the latest position we have received. I am happy to give more detail.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: We will await the outcome of the review. It is important we have a strong legislative underpinning which is advanced through the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. The Department also provided grant funding this year of €368,000 to Transparency International Ireland to support its work and support for whistleblowers specifically.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: The commencement of the review preceded my role in the Department. Where gaps are identified or where we can strengthen it to protect whistleblowers across our country, that will be our collective approach to the protected disclosures piece. Obviously, we have the office that is being established under the Office of the Ombudsman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I will take that specific question away and respond to the committee directly on it. As I said a few minutes ago, we need to ensure that the workings of the protected disclosures system reflect best practice to protect those who should be protected vis-à-vis anything they submit to me or any other individual referred to in the legislation. I will come back to you on the specific...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: As the Deputy knows, in the first instance the Minister for communications receives and assesses the request. Following the recommendation of the line Department, consent is then sought from me. That is the process that is under way. The turnaround from the request to concurrence from me was quick. It took two weeks in May of this year. It is for the Minister for communications to assess...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I will have to revert on the historical nature of why the HR component is and why other elements are not. There are core elements of the service which are under the auspices of the Department of public expenditure itself but I can provide a factual position on why there is a division on the cost allocation in terms of its core functions.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: My understanding is the requests are not scheduled but are received on an as needs basis. I suppose that is the response by my Department. Obviously Vote 15 is managed sensitively and appropriately in the context of the submissions which are received, and the Department does respond accordingly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: There is variability in receipts relating to the single public service pension scheme and the trends are more stable as the scheme matures. There will always be a variation depending on what receipts are received.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I do not know the details of any individuals, nor should any of us, to protect the personal tax information.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I appreciate the Senator's questions. The well-being framework was launched in 2021. It is a positive and holistic way to assess how Ireland is doing as a country beyond budgetary metrics. The CSO's monitoring of 35 well-being indicators across 11 dimensions is also important in that context. It is progressed within the context of the whole-of-year budget process. We have the national...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: I will review the Deputy's suggestion. Obviously, if there are recommendations in that review, I will take them very seriously in the context of any future changes that may be required.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: That is what I was saying earlier. The Deputy asked about retired. The current number of that is 39. It is still subject to finalisation. I was just trying to be helpful.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Staff (25 Jun 2025)

Jack Chambers: Ministers and Ministers of State may make certain personal appointments, which, in the case of Ministers of State, include that of Civilian Drivers. Ministers’ drivers are members of An Garda Síochána. Under delegated sanction arrangements, Ministerial appointments to the positions of Civilian Driver do not require sanction by the Minister of the Department of Public...