Results 15,021-15,040 of 32,726 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Children's Hospital (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy was part of that Government. As I recall, her party played a pretty active role in trying to decide whether this was the right decision. Given that she was a member of the Government that made this decision, it is a little bit late in the day now for her to raise questions about the location of the new hospital. Unlike the Deputy, I still believe we are doing this in the right...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I invite the Deputy to visit the O'Devaney Gardens project to see the progress that is being made there in delivering new social housing-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: -----and the project under way in Dominick Street. While these projects are under way we have an obligation to help people who are awaiting completion of them. I have yet to hear Deputy Boyd Barrett say what he believes is wrong with the approach of making use of existing homes to support citizens who would otherwise be in more difficulty while the build of new homes is under way. In...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: To return to the central point Deputy Boyd Barrett put to me, in 2020 and 2021 under Rebuilding Ireland we will be housing more citizens in local authority and approved housing body homes than through the private rental sector. That is where we are trying to get to. While we are getting there, we are trying to ensure that families who need support get it. That is the target of this plan...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: In regard to Deputy Broughan's point, I do not have any plans to introduce a further level of taxation on the construction sector or on those involved in the development of new homes.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The reason I do not propose to do that is that we are trying to get more companies and local authorities involved in the delivery of more houses than are currently being built. We have tripled the stamp duty on commercial property and introduced a vacant site levy. I have also ended some of the tax reliefs that were made available for the construction sector. The purpose of all these...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Budgets (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Estimates process and the determination of expenditure ceilings now takes place as part of a whole-of-year budgetary cycle. The summer economic statement, SES, sets out the overall fiscal strategy for the approaching budget. The pre-budget expenditure position is provided for in the mid-year expenditure report. This sets the baseline for examination of budgetary priorities by the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Budgets (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy is correct that supplementary budgets have been required for different reasons in each of the years. In terms of this year, I have already commenced engagement with a number of Departments on their expected spend later this year. In terms of where we are now versus profile, while the vast majority of Departments are now either at or below profile, for me what is key is where we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Preparations (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As to whether a revised budget is going to be needed this year, the answer is "No". I indicated when we were facing into the prospect of Brexit that I would not be presenting another budget to the House. Instead, what I said I would allow to happen is the so-called automatic stabilisers, to which the Deputy is referring, coming into play in light of the fact that people will need support...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: As set out in the most recent fiscal monitor published by the Department of Finance, total gross voted expenditure at the end of March was €15.04 billion. This is €343 million, or 2.2%, below profile. Gross voted current expenditure is €14.167 billion, which is €245 million, or 1.7%, below profile. Of the 17 ministerial Vote groups, 14 were below profile on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Yes, I am at present. The reply I would give is similar to that I gave Deputy Broughan. The Deputy asked where matters stand in the context of various programmes and I indicated that they are all funded and inside the parameters outlined in the budget. We have the ability to respond to different shocks with which we might have to deal. We have to keep on building up that ability, however....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Expenditure Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I do. In particular, I am of the view that technology can play a very major role in further improving how public services are delivered. Each year, I meet all of our public and civil servants who are involved in the use of digital technology to improve how people can access public services. It is well appreciated that the Revenue Commissioners have done a really good job in that regard and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: What would be madness would be not making money available to people to give them somewhere to live while we are trying to build new homes. For this year alone, between one in four and one in five of all new homes constructed will be built by the State in order to alleviate the social needs to which the Deputy correctly refers. As those homes are put in place, the reliance on private rental...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: All my colleagues are correctly recognising the role of our Defence Forces and the contribution they make to the State. They are right to do so and I understand why. However, we also have to be conscious of the fact that other public servants are called on at times of emergency, to use the approach of Deputy Durkan, including those who work in the health services, the Garda and those who...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Preparations (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Since the UK referendum result in 2016, my Government colleagues and I have taken a number of steps to build up the resilience of our economy so that we have the capacity to deal with adverse economic shocks. These include building up our budgetary buffers by balancing our books. The steady increase in public spending implemented in recent years, with a particular focus on public capital...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Preparations (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: We have already published our own estimates regarding what impact we believe a disorderly Brexit would have on our economy. They are included in the stability programme update which, as the Deputy said, we will discuss this afternoon. The figures we have published on the impact on the Government's financial position assume we would need to borrow to ensure our income support programmes and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Public procurement is a priority for the Government and has undergone significant reform aimed at ensuring sustainable delivery of much-needed public services, while also encouraging and supporting SME participation in these business opportunities. This approach is beneficial for the State because it nurtures competition, which ensures value for money is maintained, and provides SMEs with a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The main measures undertaken by the Minister of State when considering how SMEs can play a larger role in this area were influenced by the advisory group. I have outlined some of them, such as examining turnover requirements, dividing public contracts into lots, providing for consortia bidding and requiring public bodies to advertise contracts above €25,000. A number of other...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Everything we are doing can be undertaken within the existing legal framework. We do not need further legislative change to the procurement process. In reply to a question at our previous session of priority questions, which feels like only yesterday, I acknowledged that Deputies Cowen and Jonathan O'Brien had a number of proposals about the issue and I suggested meeting after Easter to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (18 Apr 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Service Pay Commission was established to advise the Government on public service remuneration policy. In the current phase, the second phase of the commission's work, it was tasked by its terms of reference to undertake an examination of whether, and to what extent, there are difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff in important areas of the public service identified in its...