Results 41-60 of 31,111 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Private Partnerships (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The concept of privatisation implies that there is a public service being delivered in the first place that is then discharged out to the private sector. As the Deputy already knows, the reason I separated the different PPPs is that we tend to have the public service being delivered for a project that has been built by the private sector. A wastewater treatment plant is a good example. By...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy. In the written parliamentary answer she shared with my Department, she referred to capital spending based on the targets set out in 2021 and we interpreted the question as meaning the expenditure targets that were set out in 2021. I will certainly ask my Department to see if we can come back to her about what the expenditure would have been if it was based on a share of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Across the same period, capital expenditure has increased considerably. In 2021 it stood at €9.78 billion. That was an increase of 19.8% versus the previous year. From 2021 to today, this year, it has increased from €9.78 billion to €13 billion. There has been a very big increase in the overall rate of capital expenditure. This has been done not just to cope with the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister for housing has indicated that the level of housing targets for the years ahead is something he is considering. The Deputy will be aware that the Government agreed in March to the deferral of the approval of a revised national planning framework, and to set out a revised timeline for the process. This is informed, to a significant degree, by census data. The postponement of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy. As Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at departmental level. The responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects, within the allocations agreed under the national development...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government has committed €165 billion funding for capital investment, as set out in the NDP 2021-30 published in October 2021. This expenditure was considered and agreed in order to support those sectors that would be key in delivering the ten National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs) identified in the National Planning Framework (NPF). The NDP contains expenditure commitments for a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, means tested schemes are in place across a broad number of Government Departments to determine eligibility and rates payable for certain payments and supports. Means tests seek to ensure that scarce resources are allocated in a manner that reflects the policy objective of the scheme and allocate the available resources as effectively as possible to those most in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I would like to acknowledge the deputy's interest in the issue of benefit take-up; and note that the deputy has raised this issue recently in relation to a number of specific benefits and tax reliefs including Working Family Payment, Carer’s Support Grant, the Household Benefits Package, and tax allowances and reliefs. In relation to this question concerning benefits across...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for his question and for clarifying that it refers to the payment of occupational supplementary pensions specifically. The majority of public servants recruited before 6 April 1995 pay Class B or Class D PRSI. This cohort of staff has no entitlement to Social Insurance benefits such as Jobseeker’s Benefit, State Pension Contributory (SPC) and Illness Benefit. Their...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pay (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Reform and transformation of our public services remains a key priority for Government and it is always a key element of Public Service Agreements. As such, the Public Service Agreement 2024 – 2026 underpins the ongoing transformation of our public services, enabling reform to continue in a collaborative and cooperative way. The new Agreement contains a chapter that sets out the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: I fully support increases to the retirement ages in the uniformed services. The changes proposed by the respective Ministers that are being facilitated by my Department will enhance the options available to members of the uniformed services, and allow them to remain in service for longer if they choose to do so. Furthermore, it will assist in retaining valuable expertise. Following a...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (23 Apr 2024)

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

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Development Plan (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level. The responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan 2021-30 (NDP), rests with the individual...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Expenditure Policy (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: In recent years the Government’s public expenditure policy has allowed for a proactive and balanced approach to fiscal policy while also being flexible in addressing economic trends and unforeseen events. A dual pronged approach was taken by the Government where non-core expenditure, temporary in nature, was used as part of the response to key economic and social challenges while...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy may be aware, many State Bodies classified by the Central Statistics Office as commercial are already solely audited by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG). While Section 1438 of the Companies Act 2014 provides that companies not trading for the gain of its members may be audited by the OCAG, only regulated private sector audit firms can act as statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Budgets (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has responsibility at Central Government level in relation to the local government system generally and for certain specific functional or service areas such as planning, housing and fire services. However, responsibility in relation to policy, funding, legislation, and general oversight and accountability at national level in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Capital Expenditure Programme (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: Information regarding the location of applicants and/or beneficiaries of specific project funding should be available from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. In relation to overall funding, the Department of Children, Equality, Integration and Youth have an allocation of 20 million euro for capital projects in the childcare sector in 2024. The funding...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Services Provision (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department’s mission is to drive the delivery of better public services, living standards and infrastructure for all the people of Ireland. In pursuing this mission and in implementing relevant commitments in the Programme for Government, my Department has sought to continually improve government services for all service users, including those referenced by the Deputy. This...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy may be aware, I have overall policy responsibility in relation to public service occupational pension schemes payable to retired public servants. Since 6 April 1995, all newly-appointed public servants became fully insured under the Social Insurance System (pay Class A PRSI). A public servant paying Class A PRSI will receive both an occupational pension and, it is assumed,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Staff (23 Apr 2024)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, I am not in a position to comment on the circumstances of individual cases, this would be a matter for the relevant employer. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Special Leave with Pay has been used in lieu of sick leave in the public service for self-isolation or a diagnosis of COVID-19 for public service employees. It has been clear over this period,...