Results 13,201-13,220 of 33,280 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Estimates Process (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Supplementary Estimate, on which the Deputy's final question touched, includes some funding for the winter initiative plan. I clarify that point because the Deputy put that question to me. We are simply ensuring that the health service is recruiting for posts for which there is a budget. The total funding available to the Department of Health is at the very high level of €17.4...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 4 together. As I have previously indicated, I intend to provide the capital required to fund the additional cost of proceeding with the national broadband project from future revenues.  This will be done, and has been done, in the context of updating the overall capital ceilings set out in Project Ireland 2040.  This means that the decision...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Capital Expenditure Programme (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Deputy Doherty asked me what we are doing to learn from the situation in respect of the national children's hospital, which I have said is unacceptable. We are in the final stages of revising our public spending code to ensure that the delivery of projects of huge scale is managed better than the delivery of the national children's hospital. He made reference to school projects, primary...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Estimates Process (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Expenditure Report 2020 outlined the requirement for Supplementary Estimates for a number of Votes in 2019. These supplementary provisions arise as a result of policy decisions, including the provision of a 100% Christmas bonus, and expenditure pressures, particularly in the health sector. At that point, it was estimated that the aggregate amount required for Supplementary Estimates would...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Estimates Process (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: To give further context to where we are with the Supplementary Estimates, while they continue to be at a level which I want to see reduced further, they are significantly lower than they were a year ago. I said last year that a number of things which happened from September onwards would not be repeated, and they have not been repeated. Furthermore, the Supplementary Estimates for this year...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Spending Code (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As part of the ongoing reform of Ireland’s public investment management systems, my Department has undertaken extensive work on the updating of the Public Spending Code.  The purpose of this update is to strengthen the existing guidance to better align with the realities of project delivery and with a particular focus on improved appraisal, cost estimation and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan Funding (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level.  Responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan (NDP), rests with individual sponsoring...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Reform Implementation (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: While this Government has already implemented a comprehensive series of reforms in the public sector since 2011, I can assure the House that reform continues to be a key priority and we are already developing ambitious proposals for the future. The current framework for public service reform and innovation, Our Public Service 2020 (OPS 2020), builds on earlier reforms while expanding...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Project Ireland 2040 (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Investment Projects and Programmes Tracker is currently being revised and updated. The Tracker provides a composite update on the progress of all major investments that make up Project Ireland 2040. It focuses mainly on projects with estimated costs greater than €20 million. The updated version of the tracker will be published in Q4 2019. The updated tracker will contain...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: This issue relates to a claim by community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors who have been seeking, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme. The matter was the subject of extensive discussion at the Community Sector High Level Forum...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Work to promote the incorporation of social and environmental considerations in public procurement is being progressed under the National Public Procurement Policy Framework which is the overarching policy framework for public procurement in Ireland. Under this framework, proposals to implement environmental considerations in public procurement are being developed through...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: State Assets (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I assume the Deputy is referring to the State Asset Disposal Programme which was initiated in order to release value from State assets that could be used, as far as possible and subject to the fiscal rules, to support the economy and job creation, while also using some of the proceeds to reduce debt.   There have been no disposals under the programme since 2016, however, the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware Special Advisers are appointed in accordance with Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997. My Department issued ”Instructions to Personnel Officers on Ministerial Appointments for the 32nd Dáil” in June 2016. Under these Guidelines Special Advisers to Ministers and Ministers of State who regularly attend Cabinet are to be placed on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Reform Implementation (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The significant public service reforms that we have undertaken since 2011 continue to deliver improved services and value for money across a range of areas. Two notable examples are the establishment of a centralised Office of Government Procurement with responsibility (together with the key sectors of Health, Defence, Education and Local Government) for sourcing...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Civil Service is currently developing a new, forward looking and progressive Diversity and Inclusion Policy that will help address our public sector duty to promote equality, eliminate discrimination and protect the human rights of all civil servants.  I understand that the Public Appointments Service (PAS) identified the need to attract more diverse applicant pools in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Social Clauses (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton TD, the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Patrick O’Donovan TD, and I launched the publication of Circular 20/2019: Promoting the use of Environmental and Social Considerations in Public Procurement in October. The Climate Action Plan will require every public body to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Carbon Tax Yield (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: On Budget Day 2020 I announced that I was increasing carbon tax by €6 per tonne as a first step towards the 2030 target of €80 per tonne. I also announced that this measure will raise €90 million in 2020, all of which will be ring-fenced to fund new climate action measures. Details of the specific measures to receive funding were...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates Process (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Due to the scale of Government expenditure and the cash basis of Government accounting, the need for Supplementary Estimates can arise for a number of reasons, including policy decisions, timing issues and overspends. Supplementary Estimates are an important element of our expenditure management toolkit, allowing for the proper alignment of resources with allocations. Expenditure Report 2020...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Government Procurement (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The programme for public procurement reform commenced in 2013 as part of the overall public sector reform programme. A new public procurement model was established that resulted in a shift to a new more-centralised model of procurement for government's goods and services spend. The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) commenced operations in 2014 and, since then, has made significant...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Health Services Expenditure (14 Nov 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Health Budget Oversight Group of officials from my Department, the Department of Health and the HSE was established earlier this year. The overarching purpose of the Group is to monitor and oversee the effective control of Health expenditure and staffing in line with the Budget allocation and to act as an early warning mechanism for any deviations.  It also helps develop an...