Results 321-340 of 31,153 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (7 Feb 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 entitlements of the Single Scheme are clearly set out in law and were enacted on 28 July 2012. All new entrant public servants, including members of An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: School Staff (7 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department does not hold data in relation to individual public servants. Enquiries in relation to individual remuneration, as apply to this case, should be directed to the Department of Education. However, in relation to the unwinding of FEMPI the following information is relevant. The process of unwinding the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Pension Provisions (1 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 240 and 242 together. The pension scheme rules of commercial semi state bodies typically requires that the parent Minister of the semi state body and the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform both consent to pension increases under the relevant scheme. The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2016, as amended by Department...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts (1 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) has responsibility for establishing central procurement arrangements for commonly available goods and services. A central arrangement (Framework Agreement) was established in June 2023 for the Supply of Cleaning, Paper, Personal Hygiene & Period Equality Products. The OGP is responsible for managing the overall performance of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Civil Service (1 Feb 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The pay scales for all Civil Servants are publicly available. The Clerical Officer Personal Pension Contribution (PPC) pay scale and non-Personal Pension Contribution (Non-PPC) pay scales are as follows (valid on 30 January 2024): Clerical Officer (PPC) €534.34€567.04€575.34€591.55 0ac;615.47€639.34€663.20€680.59...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I am pleased to be here today to present the 2024 Estimates for my Department’s group of Votes. I am joined by the Minister of State with responsibility for public procurement and eGovernment, Deputy Ossian Smyth. There are ten Votes under the public expenditure, national development plan delivery and reform Vote group: Vote 11 – Public Expenditure, National Development Plan...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for her questions. I think she is making two different points within that, which I am sure we will engage on in a moment. The first is in regard to the approval of projects and the second is about the process for projects of a certain level. With regard to the approval of projects, what she said in her summary in the early part of her question is correct. We...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Overall, we are reducing the number of stages in that process from, I believe, five to three. The difference will mainly be one of time and being able to move projects of a certain scale forward faster. Regarding the Deputy’s particular question about Mayo County Council, I am not familiar with the individual projects that she is referring to, but I imagine that they are the kinds of...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: There is not a general overall list. I will defer to the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, on this question. He might give the Deputy the accurate answer about what this means for a particular process.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: In March 2022, we launched an overall blended working policy framework for the Civil Service. Since then, particularly over the past 12 months, the policy has been rolled out to individual Departments and other State bodies. The target was that, a year after its implementation – we are approaching that point now – we would revert to the Government and collate and review...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I am well familiar the lessons and learnings we have from the national children’s hospital. That is why the evaluation approach for so-called mega projects has changed fundamentally. It has changed in two different areas. The first is the costs that we publish for larger projects include a larger recognition of the cost of the risks and how, if the risks were to materialise, it...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy recognised the very big change we made in the resourcing of An Bord Pleanála. I met its chairman and new chief executive, and members of his management team, last Thursday morning. We have increased from 40% to 50% the ability of An Bord Pleanála to hire people. Later in the year, that will lead to an even bigger increase in the number of staff working there, which...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I do not accept that. The Deputy is perpetuating the idea in his question and the way he put it to me of a perpetually inefficient public service. I fundamentally disagree. For example, the delivery by our public service of making a broadband plan happen, its ability to make projects happen in higher universities and in places of third-level learning throughout the country, and the speed...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: It is good to hear the Deputy say that.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I will make three points. There are many other ways of implementing accountability other than by sacking people.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I go back again to the point that the Deputy is feeding into a narrative that I find unusual for him, given that he makes the case for the public sector. He is feeding into that. There are many other ways of exercising accountability rather than just by dismissing people. In respect of the public sector, while there are many things that we, and I, want it to do better, I will still make...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Not only am I not aware of any battle, I am not aware of the particular issue either. I will come back to the Deputy on the matter. I know the entitlements of those in receipt of pensions are an important issue. I will follow up on the matter and ensure the Deputy gets a response.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I have identified three risks in that regard. The first is the maintenance at current levels of cost price inflation for projects that are publicly tendered and the risk that cost price inflation could accelerate in the future. Second is the matter raised by Deputy Tóibín, that is, our ability to move important public projects, and in particular I highlight infrastructural...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: It is a really good question. A significant cause is the answer. I will just summarise it really quickly. First, if input costs are going up it puts huge pressure on output costs to go up. As the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, touched on earlier, there is the difference between the price of wood or concrete going up and what that means then to the cost of delivering a building. One,...