Results 1,261-1,280 of 32,527 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (9 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 240 and 241 together. The Office of the Ombudsman that it consists of six separate statutory functions, funded via one vote. The statutory functions share office space, ICT staff and systems, legal and HR support as well as procurement and finance staff. This approach gives the Office functional independence across core work areas, but allows it to realise...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Data (9 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 242, 244 to 247, inclusive, and 251 together. My Department regularly reviews budgetary and expenditure monitoring processes to ensure the adequate tracking of Government spending and provides best practice guidance and approaches to assessing the impact of public expenditure investment. In implementing further reforms, my Department will look to build on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Bodies (9 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I can confirm that significant achievements have been made right across Government Departments, Offices and Agencies in terms of reform and carrying out their functions, many of which involve front-line public service delivery. My Department published the Public Service Performance Report (available at gov.ie/en/publication/c5258-public-service-performance-repor t-2023/) last month. This is...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (9 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government committed €165 billion towards capital investment through the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-30 published in 2021. An additional €2.25 billion from the windfall tax receipts was made available to capital expenditure over the period 2024-26 in the Summer Economic Statement (SES) last year. This was to facilitate the progression of important projects and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (9 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: There are no centralised forecasts of public service staffing over the period to 2030 conducted by my Department. Public service staffing is largely managed through a policy of delegated sanction, which been in place since 2015. Under this delegated sanction framework, Departments are permitted to fill vacancies through recruitment and/or promotion, in grades up to and including Principal...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Communications (9 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform does not operate a public helpline intended to answer general queries from the public. The department's press office is open to queries from the public but this is not a helpline. Two other areas within my department have a phone line which can be contacted by members of the public.The Open Data unit in my department operates a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Public expenditure management and achieving value for money, within agreed Ceilings voted by Dáil Éireann, is a key responsibility of every Department and Minister. Expenditure profiles for 2024 were completed by all Votes in February and submitted to my Department. Performance against these profiles is used in-year to monitor the expenditure position and details are published...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Apprenticeship Programmes (9 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Last year, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) published an information note on Apprenticeships and Public Procurement which can be accessed via the below link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/8b008-apprenticeships-and-public-p rocurement/. This information note, developed in collaboration with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, provides...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (4 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Civil and Public Service is comprised of numerous different employers across Government Departments and bodies under their aegis. Overall, there are over 400,000 people are employed in these organisations and there is no central repository of employee data for these people. As Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform I am responsible for the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: An Garda Síochána (3 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Analysis on the cost of mandatory retirement age (MRA) increases for Gardaí was undertaken by my Department. This analysis used anonymised individual data records. The extent to which an increased MRA represents a cost or a saving incorporates many factors including the individual's rank, current MRA, pension scheme membership and terms applicable (arising from their recruitment date),...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legal Aid (3 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: At the outset, I would like to note the important role played by legal practitioners in the administration of criminal justice. The Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962 is the primary legislation which provides for the operation of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme. As set out in section 10 of the 1962 Act, it is the role of the Minister for Justice to prescribe the fee rates paid under the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (3 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I understand that the IPA Board and Management regularly review the accommodation needs of the IPA by reference to its role and mission, keeps my Department briefed on its deliberations and consults with my Department as and when appropriate. Any proposal to my Department from the IPA would be considered with regard to the relevant framework for assessing value for money.

Estimate for Public Services 2024 (2 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I move the following Further Revised Estimate: Vote 29 — Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate).That a sum not exceeding €1,206,640,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2024, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for the Environment, Climate...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (2 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I fully support measures to increase the retirement ages in the uniformed services. An increased mandatory retirement age of 62 for members of An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, Firefighters and the Irish Prison Service was recently approved by Government. This will enhance the options available to members of the uniformed services and it will assist in retaining valuable...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Policies (2 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The staff in my department have worked collaboratively on a wide range of policies and initiatives since June 2020, delivering on the strategic goals set out in the department’s previous Statement of Strategy 2021 – 2023 and the current Statement of Strategy 2023 – 2025. This includes the strategic management of well-targeted and sustainable public spending and the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (2 Jul 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: 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...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Jun 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I join Deputy Bacik in offering my condolences on the death of Tommie Gorman. I only met him last Monday night. I cannot believe this news. I hope we will have an opportunity to say more at a more appropriate point. To deal with the substantive and important issue the Deputy raised, the State is intervening through the labour relations institutions that it has at its disposal....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Jun 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Dublin is the city of gigs at the moment. I compliment our local authorities, the National Transport Authority and Dublin Bus for the work that is happening. I was in Marlay Park last Saturday night. I saw the organisation engaged in by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to facilitate people to get in and out of Marlay Park. This coming weekend, Marlay Park will be busy again....

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (25 Jun 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: In 1995, the Government decided that full social insurance should be extended to all newly appointed civil and public servants and that they should pay a full Class A social insurance contribution. Where a public servant is fully insured, their occupational pension is integrated with the State Pension i.e. account is taken of any Social Insurance benefits payable. The main difference between...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information (25 Jun 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of my Department and the bodies under its aegis is set out in the tables below. It is important to note that the staff listed in the first table would typically work in FOI Units but some would also have duties other than the processing of FOIs. Public Body No. of full / part time staff working in FOI Units 2021 ...