Results 18,521-18,540 of 32,610 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Budget Measures (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform I have prioritised the resourcing of our health system. Last year the Budget for the health sector was increased by almost 3.6% bringing the total funding to a record level of €15.3bn. In 2016 Ireland ranked sixth highest in terms of healthcare spend per capita out of all OECD countries. There has also been a significant...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Budget Measures (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: There have been no discussions within my Department on the east west link road and rural roads in general. I understand the Minister for Transport Tourism and Sport has responded to the Deputy on this issue in PQ 24501 on 12 June 2018.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Summer Economic Statement (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: Planning for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU poses a significant challenge, particularly given that the precise nature of the relationship that will exist between the UK and the EU is yet to be agreed. The impact of Brexit will depend on the outcome of the ongoing negotiations. While this poses challenges in planning our response, it is important to note that Ireland’s economy is...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Insurance Coverage (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government’s strategy for flood insurance is  in return to its investment on flood defence schemes, households and businesses should be able to access flood insurance. While the Office of Public Works has no responsibility for oversight or regulation of the insurance industry in relation to flood risk insurance, or to insurance matters generally, the Office of Public...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I and my Department are fully committed to maintaining the well-established dialogue with the Alliance of Retired Public Servants. Through ongoing recourse to that dialogue process, I believe that retired public servants and their representatives can be confident that their pension concerns will receive full and proper consideration as they have done in the past. The interests and...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Coastal Erosion (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am very familiar with the situation at Portrane and I have visited the area and have been briefed by Fingal County Council on the problem.  Fingal County Council is leading on this issue as it lies within its functional area and it is a matter for local authorities in the first instance to assess and address problems of coastal erosion in their areas.  I fully appreciate the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Funding (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As recently outlined by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (PQ 14780/18) the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of local authorities, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants.  The initial...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Brexit Issues (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, the EU-funded cross-border programmes, PEACE and INTERREG, have been important drivers of regional development for the border region of Ireland and Northern Ireland for more than a quarter of a century.  Through EU-funded cooperation, a range of Departments, agencies and organisations, North and South, have engaged in and benefitted from a variety of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Recreational Facilities Provision (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: There are no plans to proceed with the development of a playground on the Oldbridge Estate, County Meath.  While Planning Permission for a playground was granted in September 2011, it expired in November 2016. The development did not proceed as funds were not available in the Office of Public Works and a request for a financial contribution from the Local Authority was declined. 

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Private Partnerships (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: A senior-level Inter-Departmental/Agency Group was established last year to review Ireland's experience of PPPs and to make recommendations on the future role of PPPs, in the context of the development of the new 10-year National Development Plan (NDP).  The Group reported to me earlier this year and I will be publishing the report after bringing it to Government for information in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA), provided that an examination of remaining salary scale issues in respect of post January 2011 recruits at entry grades would be undertaken within 12 months of the commencement of the Agreement. Additionally, as the Deputy is aware, this Government accepted an amendment at Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Reform Implementation (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a new phase of public service reform is already underway, as set out in the framework document Our Public Service 2020, which I launched last December. Let me assure him that public service reform remains an integral part of the Government’s economic strategy in order to enable us to continue to improve outcomes for the public. In the case...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme was the largest ever flood risk study carried out in the State; covering 300 areas believed to be at significant flood risk, and culminated with the launch of 29 Flood Risk Management Plans on 3 May 2018, and proposed 118 new outline flood relief projects on top of the 42 major projects already completed and the 33 major...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Budget Consultation Process (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: At this point I have no fixed arrangement to meet the Public Services Committee of ICTU, however officials in my Department do regularly engage with the Public Services Committee on a range of issues. More broadly the reformed budgetary process allows for engagement in advance of the Budget, particularly through the National Economic Dialogue. The fourth National Economic Dialogue took...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Private Partnerships (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Public Private Partnership (PPP) model is an internationally recognised model to design, build, finance, operate and maintain public infrastructure. In accordance with international best practice, PPP contracts already typically include detailed provisions that apply in the event of the liquidation of a consortium member of the PPP company, or an entity under the contract, to protect the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: External Service Delivery (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government is committed to using alternative models of service delivery, which may include external service delivery (outsourcing), where appropriate, as part of our ongoing drive to provide the most efficient and effective services to the citizen. This commitment was recently renewed in the Government's innovation and development framework, Our Public Service 2020. ...

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

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Climate Change Policy (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: The primary aim of the Paris Climate Agreement is to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. The agreement does not specify any emissions reduction targets for individual parties to the agreement. However Ireland, in common...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Interdepartmental Meetings (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: In regard to the specific issue the Deputy raises, I should point out that as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform I have no statutory role in respect of Section 39 organizations which are the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Health. As the Deputy will appreciate, my officials are routinely in consultation with the Department of Health on a broad range of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Expenditure Reviews (3 Jul 2018)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, the Spending Review 2017-2019 was announced as part of my Budget day speech in 2016. This review differs from previous Comprehensive Reviews of Expenditure, with the introduction of a rolling system of selective reviews that will seek to examine the significant portion of current expenditure over the three year period from 2017 to 2019. This...