Results 17,861-17,880 of 32,864 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Pay (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: On the two points Deputy Jonathan O'Brien has made, first this does represent a genuine and comprehensive effort from the Government, and myself, to respond to the issue of new entrant pay. I am honouring the commitment I gave in the public service stability agreement. To give an example of what this means, we can look at the teaching profession. The move I am proposing to make with the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Pay (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: To respond to Deputy Troy, I understand the issues pay inequality has caused. I have engaged with the matter through my representatives and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform over the last year. We believe this is a comprehensive proposal that looks to address the issue, and it has been acknowledged as such by some unions. There is a process under way and, as it is under way,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: To date, the Public Service Pay Commission has completed two reports that address recruitment and retention issues in the public service. The first report, which was published on 9 May 2017, primarily focused on the unwinding of the financial emergency measures legislation. The Government asked the commission, in making its findings, to take account of evidence on recruitment and retention...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As I indicated in my Budget Statement earlier this month, I will be accepting the Public Service Pay Commission's recommendations on recruitment and retention in the health sector. Of course we are willing to engage with representatives of the health service, while making it very clear that our pay bill and our pay policy are determined through the PSSA. Our public pay figures for next...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: In my role as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at a Departmental level. Decisions on how and where those allocations are invested by Departments are a matter, in the first instance, for my ministerial colleagues. The ten-year National Development Plan (NDP) has...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Status (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: This scheme is being progressed by Clare County Council (CCC) as the Contracting Authority with funding from the Office of Public Works (OPW). When completed the scheme will provide protection for 74 residential and 10 non-residential properties. The tender competition initiated last year had to be relaunched due to issues surrounding the costs submitted by the preferred tenderer which could...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Bord Gáis Privatisation (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I assume that the Deputy is referring to the €400m of proceeds from the sale of Bord Gais Energy that the Government announced, in Budget 2015, would be made available to support the Government's Social Housing Strategy. As the Deputy will be aware, the intention when Bord Gais Energy was sold was that €400m from the proceeds would be made available to establish an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Funding (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 77 together. In relation to the immediate short-term works for the town of Mountmellick, the Office of Public Works’ representatives on the steering group have advised Laois County Council that there is the option to apply for minor works funding for interim defences. As I have previously stated, Laois County Council have confirmed that...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Foireann Roinne (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Mar fhreagra ar cheist an Teachta Dála, dearbhaím go bhfuil cúigear ball foirne i mo Roinn atá inniúil chun seirbhís a chur ar fáil trí Ghaeilge. Is é seo a haon fán gcéad (1%) d’fhoireann na Roinne. I mo Roinn, ag glacadh le cinéal dá fheidhmeanna agus a chuid oibre, níl léibhéal ard do...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 89 together. An issue which has been the subject of discussion by the Community Sector High Level Forum relates to community employment supervisors and assistant supervisorswho have been seeking, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding for the provision of a pension scheme. At the April 2017 meeting of the Forum, my...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Drainage Schemes Status (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: There are a number of watercourses including the River Erne that flow between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Office of Public Works (OPW) has a long-standing working relationship with the Department of Infrastructure, Rivers (Dfl Rivers) which is the competent authority for the implementation of the ‘EU Floods Directive’ in Northern Ireland. In 2009, the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Risk Management (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: On 3rd May, 2018, I was delighted to launch 29 Flood Risk Management Plans and €1bn investment in flood risk over the coming decade. These Plans are the output from the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme - the largest ever flood risk study carried out in the State. The Plans set out the measures proposed to address the flood risk nationally, and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes Status (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The flood relief scheme at Ballybofey and Stranorlar was not included in the initial phase of 50 flood relief projects, throughout the country, that was announced on the 3rdMay 2018. The proposed scheme is included in the second tranche of these schemes, to be progressed at a later date and within the 10 year investment timeframe announced on 3rd May. However, in order to alleviate the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Living Wage Implementation (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 88 together. The actual number of employees working in the public sector with salaries below the living wage would require individual level data on the position of staff on each salary scale across the public service and details of the standard working hours per week for each individual grade. This data is not available to the Department. However, an...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Reports (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Commissioners of Public Works have accepted the recommendation, in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Report on the Analysis of OPW Spending on State Rents that, further research / analysis is carried out into the balance between capital and current expenditure. I am informed by my officials that discussions will commence with the Department of Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Foireann Roinne (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Is é An tSeirbhís um Cheapacháin Phoiblí (SCP), comhlacht reachtúil neamhspleách don Státseirbhís, oifig faoi choimirce mo Roinn. Chuireann an SCP comórtais seirbhisí ginearálta i bhfeidhm agus ina lán cásanna sruthanna Gaeilge a bhunú ins na comórtaisí sin. Tá eolas maidir le líon na dtascanna ón...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am not aware of any published evidence that links recent construction company insolvencies and liquidations directly with the public works contracts. Insolvency statistics published for Q1 2018 indicate the construction industry recorded 42 insolvencies (22% of the total number of insolvencies), a 17% increase on Q1 2017. Published analysis points to legacy issues related to the property...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Legislative Measures (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 83 and 90 together. The Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018, which was published on 9 July, provides for an increase in the compulsory retirement age to 70, for the majority of public servants recruited prior to 1 April 2004. These public servants generally have a compulsory retirement age of 65 at present, which is provided...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: A supplementary pension scheme has been in place since 1995 for those public servants recruited between 1995 and 2012, whose public service pension is integrated with the Contributory State Pension (CSP). This integration with the CSP means that the public service pension paid to them is based on the assumption that they will also receive the CSP at the maximum personal rate on...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Construction Contracts (24 Oct 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Legislation has already been introduced to address poor payment practices in the construction sector. The Construction Contracts Act was first introduced by Senator Feargal Quinn and enacted with Government Support in 2013.Commenced by Statutory Instrument in July 2016, it applies to all construction contracts (as defined in the Act), public or private sector, whether they are written or...